The Only Enhancer - Chapter 36
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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 36
Episode 36 – The Emperor’s Growth Raid (2)
2.
Park Min-ho, a Level 3 tank affiliated with the Hunter Association, was a man of unwavering justice.
Well, that’s precisely why he had devoted himself to the Association and risen this far.
With such a strong sense of justice, it had been nearly five years since he reached Level 3.
He was now approaching the threshold where he could ascend to Level 4, making him one of the most anticipated prospects in the entire organization.
Then Park Min-ho received a call.
—Could you possibly conduct an Emperor’s Growth Raid for a very important person in the Association?
An Emperor’s Growth Raid.
It was one of the methods favored by organizations that understood the secrets of experience gain—a technique designed to maximize experience acquisition within a short timeframe.
Han Tae-jun of the Changgong Guild had likewise reached Level 3 in record time through such an Emperor’s Growth Raid.
The method was straightforward.
Rather than enduring for extended periods like a Long-term Raid, all mana would be depleted within a short duration according to specific conditions.
It was a method only organizations capable of assembling multiple powerful parties could employ.
And the Hunter Association met all the criteria.
While such a demanding raid required considerable resolve, this was a request from none other than the Saint herself.
He had no thought of refusal, nor any reason to decline.
Moreover, this person was supposedly very important to the Association.
Though he didn’t know the specifics, he deduced this person possessed the qualities of a Level 5 hunter.
Since the Saint hadn’t elaborated, such an assumption was inevitable.
He couldn’t possibly imagine someone with Level 6 potential.
Once he settled on the assumption of Level 5 potential, everything finally made sense.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for the Saint to personally intervene.
Emperor’s Growth Raids were created precisely for such individuals, weren’t they?
Far from objecting, he was delighted to have become responsible for this undertaking.
‘What a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the nation.’
Though he knew he himself would never reach Level 5, the satisfaction of assisting in someone’s cultivation and thereby benefiting the country was immense.
Park Min-ho immediately assembled his raid team afterward.
Since this was an Emperor’s Growth Raid rather than an ordinary raid, he organized it into three parties.
He’d heard the target was a healer.
This should be more than sufficient.
Healers possessed greater mana reserves compared to other classes, and if they possessed Level 5 potential, their mana capacity would be even more exceptional.
Three parties composed of Level 3 hunters would be adequate.
‘I wonder what kind of person they are.’
Since they were a healer, they might be somewhat arrogant.
The Saint had specifically asked him to take care of them.
Though he believed otherwise, hadn’t he heard that all Level 5 healers with Level 5 potential—excluding the Saint herself—possessed twisted personalities?
He was inwardly concerned there might be complications.
The following day arrived, and everyone gathered at the designated meeting place.
A young man arrived at the same time as Park Min-ho, his expression brimming with excitement and anticipation.
“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kim Min-jun.”
Watching me introduce myself, Park Min-ho found himself thinking.
‘This person has quite refined manners.’
Among healers, there were plenty who didn’t even observe basic courtesy.
A considerable number arrived late, didn’t greet others, and didn’t even respond to greetings.
So it was only natural that I felt an immediate fondness toward someone who arrived earlier than scheduled and greeted everyone warmly.
Above all, the equipment he was wearing was far from ordinary.
Not a single piece was below +3 enhancement.
In reality, everything was +4 or higher, and the belt was an impressive +5, but the enhancement glow concealed this fact perfectly.
‘Truly befitting a healer with Level 5 potential.’
If I ever reached Level 5, wouldn’t that make me the fourth Level 5 healer in the country?
Such equipment investment was more than justified.
Yet despite receiving such investment and clearly understanding my own worth, I remained humble.
And to think I arrived even earlier than Park Min-ho, who always came first.
It was genuinely surprising.
Though my own reasoning was somewhat different.
‘I was so excited I couldn’t even sleep.’
I came early because I wanted to test the performance of my new items.
Like a child losing sleep on the eve of an outing.
Park Min-ho had no way of knowing this, but his assessment wasn’t entirely off the mark.
People were gathering one by one, though not everyone had arrived yet.
However, since everyone except me knew today’s purpose, Park Min-ho approached and greeted me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Park Min-ho, in charge of today’s Emperor-tier growth raid for healer Kim Min-jun.”
“Ah, I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Of course. We’ll do our absolute best.”
After we exchanged pleasantries and finished our greetings on a warm note.
Park Min-ho asked first.
“If I may ask, you’re still Level 1 and your initial awakening skill is a buff skill, correct?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right!”
“Hmm, then would it be possible to experience the buff skill beforehand?”
“Huh?”
As I looked puzzled, Park Min-ho explained.
“As you know, today’s raid will involve hunting as many Disaster Zone Level 2 monsters as possible. If we know the amplification rate of the buff beforehand, it would certainly be helpful for planning. But if it’s inconvenient, please feel free to refuse.”
“Ah, I see. Until now, people said it was fine to apply it right before combat, so I didn’t realize.”
“Most parties can work that way. Since healers’ buffs are typically similar on average, teams have a rough idea of the amplification and don’t need to check beforehand. Usually, for non-healer classes, all their skills are confirmed before combat.”
“Ah.”
Was this also healer tyranny?
I nodded with an ‘ah’ as if I’d just learned something new.
Come to think of it, there were people who considered it rude just to ask about a healer’s skills, so there were probably healers who would throw a fit if asked to demonstrate their abilities beforehand.
I thought Park Min-ho was quite something, but this was hardly a big deal—I cast a buff on him anyway.
Skill: Physical Enhancement.
My level had risen once more to Level 3, and now I could control the amplification myself, so I reduced it to roughly the same magnitude as when I was Level 1 or Level 2.
‘If it’s too high, he’ll lose consciousness.’
Of course, this was just my own assessment that even this reduced amount would be sufficient.
“!!!”
After receiving the buff, Park Min-ho’s normally expressionless face changed noticeably.
His body trembled at the tremendous amplification rate as he stared at me.
How could such a person even exist?
Was this the baseline for someone with Level 5 aptitude?
Wasn’t he Level 1?
Various thoughts swirled through his head, making it spin.
But then.
“Ah, by any chance, this wand has a damage skill embedded in it too—would it be alright if I dealt damage during the damage phase as well?”
“…?”
What was he talking about?
The conditions for a healer to gain experience were clear: when the buffed target attacks a monster or when I heal wounds inflicted by the monster.
Naturally, using a skill attached to an item wouldn’t grant experience.
Yet he was asking to attack?
That meant he understood the secret of experience from conducting these emperor-tier training raids.
I couldn’t understand why he would say such a thing.
But looking at those gleaming eyes of this twenty-year-old, I simply couldn’t refuse.
“…As long as you manage your mana well, it’s fine.”
“Ah! Thank you so much!”
Watching me express obvious delight, Park Min-ho thought to himself.
‘Quite an unusual healer.’
3.
The emperor-tier training raid teams under Park Min-ho’s command consisted of three teams in total.
Each team, composed entirely of elite Level 2 hunters, had nine members per team.
One tank, six melee dealers, two ranged dealers.
Of course, I was the only healer.
Including me, each team had a total of ten members.
Having more melee dealers than ranged dealers was an unusual composition, but it was structured this way after learning that my buff skill was a physical-type buff.
The number of melee dealers was increased to maximize experience gain.
The tank slot was also reduced to just one, with an additional dealer taking that position.
The goal was to kill monsters as quickly as possible and move on to the next raid.
“Formation: Large.”
Park Min-ho served as the commander, issuing orders to all teams.
After inspecting all the teams, we finally entered the Disaster Zone.
In doing so, he instructed all the tanks from Team 1 through Team 3 to be vigilant.
Don’t be flustered by the buff, he had said.
Since mana was precious, he hadn’t bothered casting the buff and simply explained it in words instead.
Just how impressive could it possibly be?
At first, everyone was puzzled, but the tank of Team 1 who entered the raid was the first to understand the reason.
‘…What is this?’
The moment they faced the Disaster Zone Level 2 monster, the Mountain Hound, the buff that came over them made their mind go completely blank.
What kind of buff was this?
It was a sensation far greater than the strength one felt when leveling up.
It felt like their very tier had elevated.
At this rate, they could simply hold back that Mountain Hound.
And indeed they could.
Boom!
Without losing in raw strength, they held the creature back completely.
Team 1 wasn’t the only ones shocked.
Even the other team members who normally knew each other’s full capabilities well opened their mouths in surprise.
“What, what is this?”
“Was he that strong?”
“That can’t be right!”
“Did the buff amplification really do this?”
Everyone stared at Kim Min-jun in disbelief.
They knew that an Emperor-tier cultivation raid was impressive, but not to this extent.
Realizing that a Level 5 talent was truly terrifying, Park Min-ho shouted.
“Everyone focus! Push the tank back! Deploy the melee dealers!”
At Park Min-ho’s command, the tank exerted all their strength.
“Hrraaah!”
Crash!
“Screeeech!”
As the shield struck the creature’s head, it recoiled in pain, and six melee dealers rushed toward it.
Empowered by the buff.
“…!”
“Gasp!”
“Wow!”
Though all were shocked, they had witnessed the tank’s reaction beforehand and heeded Commander Park Min-ho’s warning, attacking in perfect unison.
Crash! Boom! Slash! Thud! Screech!
As each fierce blow connected, the creature’s body shook violently, wracked with pain.
Battered and broken from just a single damage phase.
Yet it still roared defiantly, as if unbroken.
“Groooaarrr!”
At the roar, all the melee dealers retreated, and the tank quickly filled the gap.
As the creature charged, they met it head-on, blocking its attack with their shield.
Boom——!
Normally I would have let it flow through, but even blocking head-on, I wasn’t pushed back significantly.
That’s when the tank deployed an aggro skill.
“Kyaaaah!”
As the aggro skill landed with the shout, the creature’s eyes turned crimson.
The order came down.
“Ranged dealers attack, ranged skills first, then deploy melee dealers.”
Following Park Min-ho’s command, the two ranged dealers unleashed their skills.
Both were magic-type abilities.
One conjured and fired an ice sphere, while the other summoned and launched a miniature bolt of lightning.
And between them, a sphere of coalesced darkness came hurtling through.
Crackle!
Darkness sparking with an ominous aura—a sphere of pure shadow.
The sinister dark sphere, as if devouring everything, struck the sand hound directly.
It consumed and tore through the creature’s flesh.
Whoosh.
The area hit by the dark sphere vanished as if erased from existence.
Afterward, it took the two other skills, but barely reacted to them at all.
Its consciousness seemed already shattered by the dark sphere that had struck it first.
“…!”
Overwhelming power.
I couldn’t help but marvel at it.
‘Yes! This is it!’
Living as a healer was fun too, but dealing damage as a dealer was exhilarating.
The sensation of landing a hit was equally thrilling.
‘My damage seems stronger than any other dealer?’
Well, that’s natural for a 4-star item.
But everyone else couldn’t possibly know that.
Park Min-ho stared at me with a bewildered expression at the tremendous damage.
Did that even make sense?
Didn’t he say it was a skill attached to an item?
No matter how much stronger an enhanced item of one tier higher was, that level of power was impossible.
Item-attached skills lose 50% of their power compared to original skills, don’t they?
Yet it still had that much power?
‘Unless it’s a 4-star item….’
He’d unknowingly come close to the truth, but how could that be?
By all appearances, it was merely a 3-star item.
And Park Min-ho wasn’t the only one shocked.
“W-what was that damage just now?”
“D-did our team have a dealer that strong?”
“No! Three skills just flew out! H-he’s a healer!”
“That… that can’t be right? Stronger than a damage dealer?”
“A Tier 3 has this much power?”
“Even a Tier 3 shouldn’t be able to do this!?”
Everyone stood stunned and bewildered.
The tank and melee dealers alike were caught off-guard, their reactions delayed.
Even Park Min-ho was no exception.
Fortunately, the mountain hound had no opportunity to exploit the gap either.
It couldn’t even cry out in pain—it could only grasp at its reeling consciousness.
Its tail curled tight as its body trembled with fear.
But with the aggro skill locked in place, it couldn’t escape so easily.
After that, the raid became nothing more than a one-sided hunt.
The tank blocked attacks while the melee dealers rushed in for swift strikes, and the ranged dealers plus I unleashed attack skills.
Each time, my attacks proved decisive—and though this was a Disaster Zone Level 2 monster that typically required over two hours, the overwhelming damage output meant it took only fifty minutes.
Barely fifty minutes had elapsed.
If our coordination improved, we could likely cut it down even further.
“….”
“…We actually defeated it, right?”
“…This is no joke.”
Rather than celebrating this extraordinary record, everyone regarded me with a gaze tinged with fear.
A single person had managed to cut the time in half—or more.
It was terrifying.
Park Min-ho felt chills run down his spine, but he didn’t let it show, calling out sharply instead.
“Switch to Team 2, then proceed immediately into the next raid.”
It was possible because I was a healer—the class with the lowest fatigue characteristic.
They quickly resumed the raid right after.
Team 2 continued to marvel at my overwhelming damage output and buffs.
When the second raid concluded, Park Min-ho finally understood.
‘I’ve heard that enormous mana reserves can amplify skills, but this exceeds imagination.’
Is this what Tier 5 potential looks like?
The Saint hadn’t mentioned the Hunter Association’s importance without reason.
If someone like me ended up in the Sacerdotal Society or another guild, there’s no telling what could happen.
With this thought, Park Min-ho approached me, wondering if my mana had been depleted at all.
This was already the second raid, after all.
And I’d been using damage skills on top of everything—how much mana could I possibly have consumed?
But then.
“Hah! No matter how much I use, it doesn’t run out!”
I seemed perfectly fine.
In fact, I looked even more energized than during the first raid.
“…Kim Min-jun, the healer?”
“Pardon?”
“Your… mana reserves—how are they holding up?”
“Oh. Still brimming. Don’t worry and just keep going. This is actually fun.”
“…I understand.”
Even for a Level 5 healer, this was extraordinary. The mana reserves were not merely abundant—they were excessive.
Though perhaps he was simply showing off his pride, though that didn’t seem quite right either.
Since he appeared genuinely energized, I decided to observe further for now.
And so the raids continued—third, fourth, fifth.
Teams 1 and 2 began to pale visibly.
The phenomenon of mana gradually depleting.
But Kim Min-jun?
“Hah~! This is why I love using skills~”
He remained vigorous.
“….”
What on earth was this man?
Everyone closed their eyes tightly, consumed by that very thought.
“…Prepare for the next raid.”
Team 3 also approached the preparations with visible apprehension, and the sixth raid commenced.
“Ah! I want to try out the other skills too!”
At those words, Park Min-ho reflected.
‘If I hadn’t allowed him to use damage skills, the team members might have been wiped out.’
I had made the right call letting him deal damage.
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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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