The Only Enhancer - Chapter 3
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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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Episode 3
Episode 3 – Could It Be a Healer? (1)
0.
Kim Da-ye worked as a civil servant at the Hunter Association Gimpo North Branch.
Her workplace was the 1st Floor Awakener Registration Counter.
In other words, she registered those who had awakened as Awakeners, and if they possessed a trait, she registered them as Hunters as well.
Yet she harbored one concern.
‘Sigh. Should I have never sent that person away back then?’
Just two days prior.
A young man who appeared to have barely turned twenty had come in.
His expression was so visibly elated that anyone could tell he had awakened, yet he possessed no trait.
Seeing his dejected face, Kim Da-ye had unknowingly kindled hope within him.
The hope that if he had only recently awakened, it might take some time for his trait to manifest.
But didn’t she know better?
‘Even if they came right after awakening, most of them are traitless individuals.’
What if he became pessimistic about that and did something reckless?
That was precisely what weighed on Kim Da-ye’s mind.
The thought that she should have simply registered him as an Awakener back then surfaced vividly, but what could she do now?
The water had already been spilled.
All she could do was hope he would return.
And then it happened.
As the bell chimed to call the next number, the young man from two days ago appeared before Kim Da-ye’s counter.
“Number 349?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
With that response, the young man—Min-jun—handed over his number ticket with a bright expression, having returned to this place.
Kim Da-ye was startled, her already large eyes widening further, but she showed no outward sign of surprise and observed Min-jun carefully.
Just as before, he smiled brightly and handed over his number ticket.
His face bore no trace of despair.
Above all, look at that composure radiating from every part of his face.
‘Could it… be?’
No, that couldn’t be.
Even as Kim Da-ye thought this, she swallowed hard with a glimmer of hope.
The fact that he had returned after two days meant he must have discovered something, and it usually took this long?
Moreover, he had come right after awakening and had no trait, but his trait manifested belatedly?
The probability was high that he was a Healer.
But Kim Da-ye was a seasoned professional who had worked here for quite some time!
She revealed no hint of this speculation and asked with a smile on her face.
“You’re the one who came two days ago, aren’t you? Has your trait manifested?”
“Yes, it has manifested.”
So it was true after all.
Kim Da-ye’s face brightened as if she herself had just awakened, and she asked the question.
“Then would you please fill in your personal information and trait on this form?”
She handed over the documents while repeating the same words as before.
This time, Min-jun filled out the form with a smile, already knowing everything instead of asking what his trait was like last time.
Once he finished writing and handed back the documents, Kim Da-ye received them and genuinely marveled.
“Ah! You’ve become a Healer!”
“Ha ha, yes, that’s what happened.”
“Congratulations! You’ve manifested a remarkable trait. Then there will be an additional ability measurement, so could you wait in front of the 2nd Floor Ability Measurement Room?”
At Kim Da-ye’s words, Min-jun smiled with an air of complete composure and nodded in response.
“Ah, yes, I understand.”
With that, Min-jun disappeared.
Kim Da-ye hurriedly contacted the measurement room.
-Huh, a new dealer showed up?
Upon contacting the measurement room, came a blunt response.
Such a reaction was only natural.
More than half of those here were traitless individuals.
And the majority of the remaining half were dealers.
The measurement room was speaking as if it were obvious, asking if it was a dealer.
But this time was different.
Moreover!
“No! It’s a Healer!”
-Huh? A, a real Healer?
“Yes! And it’s a Healer whose trait took some time to manifest! You’ll need to do a detailed measurement, right?”
-Ah, got it! I’ll get ready!
The blunt attitude suddenly shifted, and they began making a fuss.
Kim Da-ye was the same.
How long had it been since a Healer appeared at this branch?
The memory was hazy.
And a Healer whose trait took time to manifest?
This was a scoop among scoops.
‘This is incredible. Perhaps….’
A future famous Healer might have just appeared.
1.
While Kim Da-ye was making a fuss.
Min-jun rode the elevator with a composed expression and a smile, feeling a chill run down his spine.
‘Thank goodness the act worked.’
Beyond merely concealing the truth, I had even acted, so a chill running down my spine was inevitable.
And for good reason.
‘I absolutely cannot be exposed.’
Because I was not a Healer.
To be precise, it was a trait that could easily crush even healers, who were called royalty.
If a healer was royalty, then shouldn’t Kim Min-jun be called an emperor?
Upon arriving at the 2nd Floor, Kim Min-jun opened his status window while waiting in front of the Ability Measurement Room.
[Kim Min-jun]
[Lv.1]
[Trait – Reinforcement Mage]
[Skills]
– Physical Reinforcement
– Item Reinforcement
– Reinforcement Mage’s Blessing
No matter how many times I looked at it, I couldn’t get used to it.
A trait called Reinforcement Mage, no less.
It was only natural that I was astonished.
In this world, there were only three traits in existence.
Healer, Tank, Dealer.
The trait window supposedly displayed only those three: Healer, Tank, and Dealer.
A case where it was written like a job title, the way it was for me?
It didn’t exist, they said.
In other words, a trait that had never appeared in the world before.
Even I hadn’t searched for information for hours at first because I couldn’t believe it.
It defied common sense, after all.
‘I can’t tell anyone about this.’
To use an analogy, it was like a person with blue skin appearing in a world where only white, yellow, and black people existed.
If they were discovered, they’d become a research subject immediately, or in a world where firearms were legalized, a blue-skinned person would be shot dead on the spot.
It wasn’t just unusual.
It was a Reinforcement Mage, no less.
Reinforcement, of all things.
‘Reinforcement itself is something that doesn’t make sense.’
Until now, the only way to obtain reinforcement values was the moment an item dropped from a monster.
After it dropped, was there any way to increase the reinforcement value of an item?
There was none anywhere.
Even in novels and comics, writing something like this would get you criticized.
But I could do it.
Through a skill, that is.
[Item Reinforcement]
– Reinforces an item to increase its reinforcement value.
– Success rate increases as level rises.
*0→+1 Reinforcement = 100% Success Rate
*+1→+2 Reinforcement = 50% Success Rate, 50% Failure Rate
*+2→+3 Reinforcement = 10% Success Rate, 85% Failure Rate, 5% Destruction Rate
*3→4 Reinforcement = 0.1% success rate, 69.9% failure rate, 30% destruction rate.
*Insufficient level to perform 5 Reinforcement.
No one questioned that a Level 1 awakener could only reinforce items up to 3 Reinforcement.
After all, a 3 Reinforcement item meant you could hunt even Disaster Level 3 monsters.
Disaster Level 3 monsters?
From that tier onward, the creatures earned the terrifying designation of “Disaster.”
Raids required a minimum of twenty hunters, and a healer was absolutely essential to bring one down.
Yet if fortune favored me, I could transform an item with no reinforcement value into one capable of hunting Disaster Level 3 monsters.
‘Because you need equipment with reinforcement stats matching the monster’s level to hunt them effectively.’
It was possible to kill them without that advantage if you invested enough time, but hunters would die in staggering numbers.
The monsters’ defensive barriers were that formidable.
But with reinforced equipment matching the creature’s level, you could pierce through even that impenetrable shield.
The higher the reinforcement level, the more astronomical the price became.
Yet I was the only being capable of performing such reinforcements.
If this were discovered?
‘It would be far too dangerous.’
A blue-haired stranger suddenly appearing and wielding supernatural powers—
It was the perfect setup to be mistaken for an alien.
I would be marked for immediate execution or, at minimum, become a research subject.
I had gained power capable of overturning all current knowledge and truth.
Without the strength to protect myself, concealment was the only wise choice.
This secret could never reach anyone’s ears.
That was why I claimed to be a healer.
‘Fortunately, I possessed a skill similar to healing.’
When a healer trait awakens, it grants both healing and buffing abilities, but upon initial awakening, even the most powerful healer possesses only a single skill—their starter skill.
That was what it was called.
A healer’s starter skill was naturally one of two types: either a buff skill or a healing skill.
If you received a buff skill as your starter, you would inevitably gain a healing skill once you leveled up.
Yet I possessed three skills, and one of them was—
[Physical Reinforcement]
-Temporarily enhances all stats of the target.
-Enhancement magnitude and duration increase with level.
It was a skill remarkably similar to a healer’s buff.
That was why I had deceived them into thinking I was a healer.
Since I did possess a buff skill, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
As I sat alone with these thoughts, the measurement room door opened and someone emerged.
A muscular man with an imposing presence spotted me and gazed down at me with a terrifying expression.
‘D-Did he find out?’
Just as I thought my life might end, the man bowed respectfully and spoke.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Healer. I’m Yu Jung-pal, the staff member conducting measurements here. I’m honored to be taking your assessment today.”
“Ah, yes? Oh, of course. I’m honored as well.”
“Hehehehe! Please, come this way!”
Yu Jung-pal treated Min-jun with utmost courtesy as he responded with an awkward smile.
Min-jun felt somewhat uncomfortable receiving such treatment for the first time.
Above all else.
‘You’re… terrifying.’
Was this what it felt like to meet a movie star in person?
I was grateful for his kindness and understood I was being treated with respect, but I couldn’t help finding him intimidating.
As Min-jun swallowed nervously and entered the measurement room, there was nothing but a crystal orb resembling an orb in the center.
Seeing it, Min-jun immediately panicked.
This wouldn’t work.
I could only use body reinforcement on living creatures.
It wouldn’t apply to a crystal orb, would it?
As Min-jun stared at the orb with a worried and anxious expression.
Yu Jung-pal spoke as if it were nothing serious.
“This crystal orb is a measurement device for dealers and tanks. For healers, you simply cast your skill on me. It’s more reliable to measure healing or buff abilities by applying them to an awakener.”
“Ah, I see.”
I exhaled in relief, and when I looked at Yu Jung-pal, he opened his mouth with utmost formality, somewhat tense.
“If I may ask, could you tell me what kind of initial skill you possess, Healer Kim Min-jun…? I, I need to know the type for the measurement.”
Though he spoke as politely as possible, the tremor in his voice revealed just how nervous he was.
What made healers so special that someone like him would tremble like this?
Since I hadn’t yet internalized being a healer, I simply felt bewildered.
“Ah! Of course. I possess a buff-type skill.”
In any case, Min-jun spoke as if everything was fine.
Watching Min-jun speak so readily, Yu Jung-pal instead exhaled in relief and smiled broadly as he spoke.
“Whenever you’re ready, you can use your skill on me.”
It was quite a ferocious smile, but Min-jun didn’t show it and replied.
“Yes! I’ll cast it now.”
With those words, Min-jun immediately cast body reinforcement on Yu Jung-pal.
Then Yu Jung-pal’s expression rapidly hardened.
“…!?”
Why was he doing that?
Frightfully.
Min-jun looked at Yu Jung-pal, finding him somewhat terrifying.
Yu Jung-pal bowed his head in apology as if he’d been rude.
“I, I apologize. The measurement is complete. I’ll issue your hunter license right away, so could you wait at the 1st Floor Awakener Registration Counter?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
Min-jun bowed his head at those words and left the measurement room.
And in the measurement room where only Yu Jung-pal remained, words of disbelief echoed.
“W, what kind of buff amplification is this, this high!?”
It seemed the rumors were true—my trait had taken time to manifest.
Yu Jung-pal wiped away the cold sweat trickling down his cheek.
An amplification rate that defied belief.
“Truly, a colossus is born.”
2.
With my Hunter License now in hand, I gazed at it with overwhelming emotion.
A Hunter License registered as a Healer.
Honestly, I could accept the Healer classification.
‘There are skills even a Healer cannot replicate, after all.’
But becoming a Hunter itself—that was what moved me most.
To think I’d actually become a Hunter, something I’d spoken of so casually.
The pride faded quickly, though.
‘Still, they said finding a party for a first raid is difficult, didn’t they?’
I hadn’t expected to venture out today.
Even as a Healer, most would hesitate at the prospect of a first-timer.
But just in case.
‘Should I post on Hunter Net?’
And so I posted a recruitment notice on Hunter Net.
I made sure to mention my registration today, specified that I was a Healer, and noted that my initial skill was a buff.
Surely I’d find a party by the end of the week at least?
As I turned toward home with that thought, my phone rang.
With a terrifying intensity, no less.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Startled by the relentless vibrations, I checked my phone.
[Please, please join our party!]
[Our party, please!]
[Healer! We’ll treat you with the utmost care!]
[You can go today? You’re truly blessed. So please, we beg you, join our party!]
[Please!]
[We earnestly hope you’ll join our party!]
….
….
….
The flood of messages was nothing short of desperate pleading.
I swallowed hard, muttering to myself.
“W-what is all this!?”
I still didn’t fully grasp the true standing of a Healer.
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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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