The Only Enhancer - Chapter 33

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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 33
Episode 33 – The Saint Who Gives Without Reservation (1)
0.
There were several reasons why the Saint Lee Hee-bin had come to Kim Min-jun’s home.
A single rejection was hardly enough to penetrate her considerate nature.
Despite the unfortunate incident of religious solicitation, she had never considered the option of visiting his home uninvited.
Rather, because such an unfortunate incident had occurred, she needed to be even more courteous!
That was Lee Hee-bin’s reasoning.
Since he had rejected her call so firmly, how could she approach him with proper etiquette?
She deliberated, but there were few options available.
‘Should I send a text message instead?’
She refrained from sending one, fearing that a text alone would seem discourteous.
Yet calling again felt equally awkward.
What if he thought she was pushing religious solicitation once more?
That would be troublesome.
What if she sent a text first, then called?
That could work.
She decided to try this approach.
She composed the text with utmost formality.
[Greetings. This is Lee Hee-bin, Personnel Manager of the Awakener’s Association.
I am writing to inform Healer Kim Min-jun of an important matter that requires your attention.
I will provide further details during a phone call.
If you could share your available contact hours, I will reach out immediately.
I sincerely wish you a day filled with fortune and happiness.
Thank you.
Personnel Manager Lee Hee-bin.]
Surely he wouldn’t reject the call outright with such a message!
She felt she had maintained proper courtesy.
Yet in that moment, a troubling thought crossed Lee Hee-bin’s mind.
Would he mistake it for spam because she hadn’t included specific details?
But wasn’t it proper etiquette to discuss important matters in person?
She felt momentarily confused, but ultimately trusted her judgment.
He would surely reply by tomorrow, wouldn’t he?
Or so she thought—but he didn’t.
‘What? Did I send something wrong?’
Confused, she considered sending another carefully worded text, but shook her head.
What if he thought she was being pushy by sending a second message?
Of course, the real reason was that he was too busy with enhancement training to check his messages—but Lee Hee-bin had no way of knowing that.
‘I suppose I should just call.’
Since she had already sent a text, surely calling would be acceptable, she reasoned, and dialed his number.
While focused on enhancement, Kim Min-jun had switched his phone to silent—he might not have even noticed the call coming in.
‘Ah, ah.’
What should I do?
Growing anxious, Lee Hee-bin racked his brain as hard as he could, but no suitable method came to mind.
After that, he tried every conceivable approach—emails, letters, and more—but naturally, none of it worked.
When nearly a week had passed, only one option remained for the increasingly desperate holy knight.
A last resort, truly.
Visiting his home in person.
He had avoided it until now, believing it improper, but with every other avenue exhausted, it was now his best option.
And so he had arrived at this moment.
Ding dong~♪
“I’m… not here for religious recruitment. I’m from the Hunter Association.”
1.
A quiet coffee shop.
In a private room on the second floor, the two of them sat facing each other.
It felt even more secluded than before.
Seeing the holy knight Lee Hee-bin who had come to my home, I could only be astonished—naturally.
And for good reason, wasn’t this Lee Hee-bin we were talking about?
One of the hunters well-known to the public.
His very image embodied devotion and compassion itself.
He was also one of only twenty-one Level 5 hunters in Korea.
From my perspective, Level 5 hunters seemed rather common lately.
‘I’ve seen three Level 5 hunters in just one week.’
Though Level 5 had become unexpectedly commonplace, the presence they commanded was truly astounding.
From the moment he rang the doorbell, the figure I saw on the screen showed no hesitation or timidity whatsoever—only an expressionless face and completely businesslike demeanor.
And the thick aroma of mana emanating from her.
Even I, now Level 3, could sense that overwhelming presence.
A tremendous aura that she tried to suppress but inevitably leaked out.
I could tell that this seemingly fragile woman was indeed a Level 5 hunter.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
Just because she was called a holy knight didn’t mean her true nature matched that title.
Of course, I didn’t think her image was entirely false, but whether she would help or harm me remained to be seen.
If I were the type to be swayed by anyone simply because they were a woman, I wouldn’t have been cautious with Cha Hae-yeon of Changgong Guild either.
To reiterate, I had resolved never again to be manipulated by anyone’s hand.
No matter how much of a holy knight Lee Hee-bin was, my resolve remained unchanged.
And Lee Hee-bin was equally tense.
‘Now I understand why they said he has the potential of a Level 6.’
It’s terrifying.
I was told he was Level 1, yet the aura I’m sensing creates an illusion as if I’m facing a Level 5 hunter.
Even for someone with Level 6 potential, is this really the extent of it?
Now I understood why Ma Hyun-seok, the head of the Hunter Association, had stepped forward so decisively.
No wonder the Changgong Guild and the Sacerdotal Society were drooling over this opportunity.
There was nothing more to consider.
I could grasp just how crucial this moment was.
I had known it before coming, but now it hit me far more profoundly.
“I’d like to apologize first for arriving so abruptly without notice.”
Lee Hee-bin apologized with a genuinely remorseful expression.
Yet he didn’t appear servile in the slightest.
Rather, his composed apology made it seem all the more sincere.
“Not at all. Now that I think about it, I’m the one who didn’t respond to your messages and calls.”
“I’m grateful you’d say such a thing.”
“If you don’t mind, could we proceed directly to the main matter?”
There was much to be done.
I had no patience for wasting time.
When Min-jun spoke like that, Lee Hee-bin thought to himself.
Lee Hee-bin was calculating internally.
‘It seems he’s not interested in prolonging this conversation.’
Honestly, this kind of negotiation felt somewhat awkward for Lee Hee-bin.
While he was called a personnel manager regarding Min-jun, that was only in relation to Min-jun himself—his primary role was participating in as many raids as possible under the Hunter Association and serving as a healer.
They could have sent a professional negotiator instead.
But the Association hadn’t done so because the main objective wasn’t Min-jun’s membership in the Association itself.
It was preventing him from joining the Sacerdotal Society or any of the Top 5 Guilds.
‘If he were to join the Sacerdotal Society, the existing healers’ tyranny would only intensify, and the Sacerdotal Society would run rampant.’
Because healers were fewer in number compared to other classes, they were far more unified.
And it was the Sacerdotal Society that subtly controlled these unified healers.
While tanks and dealers might declare strikes, their sheer numbers prevented unity, and many still went on raids. But healers had the Sacerdotal Society as their hidden hand.
None were more unified than they.
It was no wonder the Healer Community, the smallest of all classes, was the most active.
It was the Sacerdotal Society that made healers care about their rights more than anyone else.
It was hardly an exaggeration to say the Healer Protection Act itself was created by the Sacerdotal Society.
If things continued this way and Min-jun, known to have the potential to reach Level 6, were to join the Sacerdotal Society?
‘That would be unthinkable.’
For the same reason, we had to prevent him from joining any of the Top 5 Guilds.
Right now, Min-jun was nothing short of a nuclear weapon—a talent of immense strategic value.
Depending on who wielded that weapon, the entire landscape could shift unpredictably.
If one of the Top 5 Guilds obtained Min-jun, the precarious balance that had been maintained would surely collapse, and a single dominant guild would emerge, creating a monopoly.
The Association was stepping in to prevent exactly that.
Not to invite him to join the Association, but to request that he remain unaffiliated with any organization.
And Ma Hyun-seok’s directive was to match whatever conditions Min-jun demanded as much as possible.
‘Sigh, this really is difficult.’
Kim Min-jun, who asked to get straight to the point, didn’t seem like an easy opponent either.
He was barely twenty years old.
Yet he carried himself with composure and a keen awareness of those around him.
For someone as naturally timid as Lee Hee-bin, this position was ill-suited, but having accepted full authority, he was determined not to return empty-handed.
At Kim Min-jun’s words, Lee Hee-bin nodded in agreement.
“First, I want to clarify that we haven’t come here to make a recruitment offer to you, Kim Min-jun.”
“Hmm?”
From Kim Min-jun’s perspective, Lee Hee-bin’s statement was shocking.
Both Changgong Guild and the Sacerdotal Society—Myung Ha-jin’s organization—were scrambling to recruit him, yet the Hunter Association wasn’t here to recruit him?
It seemed even more suspicious, but he remained silent and listened.
Kim Min-jun’s expression immediately turned skeptical as he regarded Lee Hee-bin, and internally, Lee Hee-bin trembled.
Suspicious? How could he look suspicious?
He recalled the time he’d rejected a religious invitation, but he pressed on, suppressing his anxiety.
“We would prefer that you, Kim Min-jun, not join the Sacerdotal Society or any of the Top 5 Guilds.”
“…Ah.”
“There are several reasons, but the primary one is balance.”
He briefly explained the balance between the Sacerdotal Society and the Top 5 Guilds.
He also described what would happen if one side became too dominant.
After listening carefully, Kim Min-jun nodded in understanding.
Though the explanation had been taxing, seeing that Kim Min-jun grasped the situation, Lee Hee-bin felt considerably relieved and exhaled quietly.
“Phew.”
“So you’re saying you’ve come to ask me not to belong to either side?”
“Yes, of course, we haven’t come to ask without offering something in return.”
At those words, Kim Min-jun smiled wryly.
Honestly, from his perspective, this was a condition with no downside whatsoever.
He had already planned to reject both their offers anyway.
But would those listening believe he could refuse them?
Wasn’t that precisely why he’d been building his strength?
But if the Hunter Association stepped in?
Hadn’t he barely managed to slip away by striking first during that confrontation between Myung Ha-jin and Cha Hae-yeon last time?
With the Hunter Association backing him, he wouldn’t need to be so calculating.
However.
‘What matters is how far they’re willing to go.’
The Sacerdotal Society and the Top 5 Guilds.
If he made enemies of both, he’d essentially have to give up raiding.
Not raiding was fine.
He could buy enhancement gear from the Hunter Association, and he could earn money by enhancing non-enhanced items and selling them.
But what if the Sacerdotal Society or the Top 5 Guilds turned their attention to him and tried to cause trouble?
Kim Min-jun had built up minimal strength, but it was only minimal.
He could hold his own against a Level 4 hunter, but who knew what might happen.
Since Kim Min-jun had grown stronger, I couldn’t predict what schemes those bastards might attempt.
‘If the Hunter Association backed me, at least they’d be able to block such moves.’
After all, they’d have to be cautious too.
But words alone wouldn’t suffice.
The Hunter Association didn’t yet know of Kim Min-jun’s resolve.
Whether he joined the Sacerdotal Society or Changgong Guild, neither would be surprising given his situation.
Naturally, they’d have to make a grand offer.
“Ahem, well, what we can provide includes various intelligence and every convenience the Hunter Association can offer—and by convenience, I mean all the benefits available to hunters, including raid participation. And finally, items.”
“….”
I didn’t let my expression change upon hearing this, but honestly, I couldn’t help but be astonished.
They’d offer all this?
Just hearing it sounded substantial.
This wasn’t a condition for joining the Association—they were offering it if I remained unaffiliated with any organization.
But it could all be empty words with little substance behind them….
“First, the information I’d like to share concerns experience points.”
Lee Hee-bin cut off my thoughts and spoke without hesitation.
I sensed he had no intention of playing games with the content.
But though somewhat surprised, wasn’t this information I already knew?
I’d even wondered if it applied only to me.
It wasn’t entirely meaningless information.
But should I probe further?
“Skills.”
The moment I said just that, Lee Hee-bin’s expression shifted noticeably in surprise.
As if asking how I could possibly know.
‘So it really is information only a few know, yet he already understands it.’
Lee Hee-bin immediately grasped what Kim Min-jun meant.
He was asking for more valuable information.
It seemed the Sacerdotal Society and Changgong Guild had already revealed this much.
“Ahem, my apologies. You already knew.”
“….”
“Our healers gain experience points when healing wounds inflicted by monsters or when buffed targets attack monsters, but the crucial part is that it’s proportional to mana consumption—you already knew this much, didn’t you?”
“….”
I didn’t know.
How could I?
I was just mindlessly enhancing items and my level kept rising.
How would I know the conditions were connected to monsters?
‘So was I gaining experience by enhancing items that dropped from monsters?’
Internally, I panicked severely, but I didn’t let it show.
My body trembled slightly for a moment, but fortunately, Lee Hee-bin sighed and lowered his head at that exact instant, so he didn’t notice my reaction.
At that moment, I suddenly thought something.
If the conditions were tied to monsters and experience was gained proportional to the mana consumed, it would be extraordinary news for Kim Min-jun.
‘My mana pool is abnormally vast.’
Typical healers would retire after casting a buff ten times at Level 1.
But Kim Min-jun could cast it thirty times without breaking a sweat.
His recovery far exceeded his consumption.
In other words, enhancement magic demanded far more mana than one could imagine.
It made sense—other hunters took years to reach Level 3, yet he had achieved it in merely a month.
‘I’ve obtained crucial information.’
Thanks to Lee Hee-bin’s somewhat careless nature, I had acquired invaluable intelligence.
Or perhaps he intended to share it from the start?
If he already knew I understood this much, he would surely offer other information as well?
This was pure profit.
“If you require any information, I shall provide it at any time.”
“Hmm.”
I found myself hesitant.
I didn’t know what information to ask for immediately.
But there was no need to rush.
“Let me inquire about the benefits I can receive later. For now, I’d like to hear the details in full.”
“Of course, naturally.”
Though Lee Hee-bin tried to conceal it, he appeared quite pleased and proceeded to list the various benefits.
As Lee Hee-bin continued speaking, even Kim Min-jun, who maintained a poker face, found his jaw dropping at every offer.
If he desired raids, the Association would provide team support, and above all, they would grant him access rights to every Disaster Zone where the Association held influence.
Moreover, all byproducts obtained through raids would become his sole property.
These benefits alone were staggering.
Since Kim Min-jun didn’t understand the true value of a Level 6 aptitude, he could only be astonished.
The buffing ability he had demonstrated seemed to warrant this level of treatment.
But above all else.
“We will provide you with a +4 enhanced item.”
“+4 enhanced items?”
A +4 rental.
This held little appeal.
Weren’t +4 items already commonplace? Besides, if it were a rental, I couldn’t use it freely anyway.
However.
“Yes, you may select any +4 enhanced item you wish, and it shall be yours.”
Something about the phrasing felt odd.
Yours?
It sounded as though he were giving it to me.
Kim Min-jun asked just to be certain.
“Is it a rental?”
“Pardon? No, of course not. It becomes your property, Kim Min-jun.”
“······!”
They’re just handing over a Tier 4 item.
I never intended to join the Sacerdotal Society or Changgong Guild anyway, but if I go the original route, they say they’ll provide benefits like that.
And I’m not even joining the Hunter Association.
Why would I refuse?
‘This is absolutely a yes.’
The moment I was about to answer that way.
The door to the room suddenly burst open.
Crash!
“The Holy Knight’s lost her nerve! We’ll give you three Tier 4 items!”
Myung Ha-jin’s sudden appearance startled both me and Lee Hee-bin.
How did he even find this place?
But more than that.
‘Three Tier 4 items?’
Items that easily fetch hundreds of billions each—three of them?
But that doesn’t mean I should join the Sacerdotal Society···.
I felt a slight temptation creeping in.
“W-we can offer four items!”
Spark.
Lee Hee-bin suddenly shouted, and he and Myung Ha-jin locked eyes with intensity.
Watching this unfold, I had one thought.
‘I should just stay quiet.’
If I do nothing, the Tier 4 items will keep multiplying.

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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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