The Only Enhancer - Chapter 4

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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 4
Episode 4 – Could You Be a Healer? (2)
Not even a few minutes had passed.
Only a handful of seconds had elapsed, yet I was already receiving this many messages?
It couldn’t be a scam…
‘Is a Healer really this valuable?’
I’d heard Healers were remarkable, but honestly, I never expected it to be this extreme.
Impersonation was impossible on Hunter Net.
Registration itself was tied directly to one’s trait from the start.
Even so, I thought messages would trickle in slowly since I was a beginner.
But what was this?
Messages were flooding in at the level a top-tier idol would receive.
Before long, the messages had surpassed a hundred—far too many to read through.
Just skimming the subject lines, many of them were already tiresome.
‘Calm down.’
I was bewildered and flustered, but I wasn’t trembling like I used to.
Why should I cower for the rest of my life after obtaining such a remarkable ability?
They say the position shapes the person.
That’s what happened to me.
‘At this rate, I won’t even be able to choose.’
More importantly, it would be even harder for a beginner like me to pick and choose.
First, I needed to disable the messages.
I quickly disabled the message function and edited my post to mark it as closed.
Only then did it truly sink in.
What I’d only understood intellectually before, I now felt viscerally.
‘My value is immense.’
Even with my true ability hidden, so many people were seeking me out.
For some reason, my shoulders felt light with pride.
Everything was different now.
Just that alone filled me with exhilaration.
As I thought this, I recalled my trait once more.
‘The one and only being capable of reinforcement.’
Since that was me, I should get used to this kind of treatment from now on.
I looked at my phone with that resolve.
First, I needed to decide which party to join.
3.
Twenty years old.
The age to enter university, but like most, this was the time to hang out more with high school friends than college ones.
The people gathered here were no exception.
Three men were drinking together, though they hardly seemed like friends.
To anyone watching, the two of them appeared to be subordinates rather than friends, constantly gauging the mood of one person.
The pair sweating profusely while adjusting their words to please him was almost pitiful, but Sung-jun paid it no mind.
He was already accustomed to this sort of thing.
Or more precisely, it hadn’t been quite this bad back in high school.
Sung-jun had been the most successful student at school, but they were still just fellow students, weren’t they?
But things were different now.
‘Damn fools.’
Now he and they were worlds apart.
That sense of superiority came naturally to him.
And why shouldn’t it?
Sung-jun was no longer an ordinary person—he was a Hunter.
And not just any Hunter, but a genuine Tank, far superior to the countless disposable Dealers and powerless rabble out there.
‘We’re born different. Worthless bastards.’
He chuckled and took a sip of his drink.
One of them opened his mouth, trying to curry favor with Sung-jun.
“Sung-jun, is it true you actually saw that bastard Kim Min-jun?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Sung-jun chuckled in agreement, and the two of them became animated.
“Wow, it’s amazing that bastard is even alive after all that. I would’ve killed myself by now.”
“Hehehehe, exactly. Honestly, when I pissed on his head, I wondered if I’d gone too far, but I guess he managed to endure it?”
“Of course he did—he’s an orphan. That’s what they’re made for, surviving through pure grit and malice.”
“I remember when you told him to lick up what you’d done, and I honestly didn’t think he’d do it, but the bastard licked it up like a dog. I still can’t believe it.”
“Ahahahahaha! I remember that. Anyway, the guy’s got such a good sense of pleasing people, right?”
Watching them giggle and chatter among themselves, Sung-jun clicked his tongue and spoke.
“Hey, you know where I saw that bastard?”
“Where?”
“Where was it?”
“In front of the Hunter Association?”
The moment Sung-jun spoke, he watched the two of them stiffen, and he couldn’t help but laugh at how transparent they were.
Just moments ago they’d been mocking someone they thought beneath them, and now look at them—their inferiority complex laid bare for all to see.
Nothing was more entertaining than this.
Come to think of it, the thrill of tormenting Kim Min-jun had dulled recently. Maybe it was time to find new prey?
Sung-jun considered this, then shook his head.
The risks could outweigh the benefits.
Hunters became celebrities just like entertainers.
Image management was important from the start.
“Either way, that bastard turned out to be powerless.”
“Ah, ah, yeah. Right?”
“Damn cowards! You got scared because you thought that bastard was living better than us. Ahahaha.”
“Damn fools, hehehehe.”
Look at him laughing so awkwardly loud, as if he’s actually good at something.
It’s pathetic beyond measure.
‘Even as someone without a trait, I’ll live better than vermin like you.’
These insects who haven’t even awakened, let alone obtained a trait—I don’t know who they think they’re mocking.
Just as I was growing sick of it all.
I spotted a notification I’d missed on my phone.
It was a healer recruitment post.
I jerked up in surprise and grabbed my phone immediately.
At my sudden movement, the two of them startled as well.
I didn’t care whether they were shocked or not—I quickly clicked on the recruitment post to leave a message, but.
[This post has already closed.]
[You cannot send a message.]
“Tsk.”
I could only click my tongue in regret.
Finding a healer to join a party in this place wasn’t easy at all.
‘Even if I had sent a message, it wouldn’t have worked.’
There were far more tanks superior to me than just one or two.
Yet healers—they were so rare that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they existed in the sky above even the best tanks.
How could I possibly recruit such healers?
‘I need to prove my skills quickly and join a major guild or something.’
Though discrimination against healers was severe even within major guilds, at least they existed there.
The stability of a raid changed depending on whether a healer was present or not.
Thinking of the party I’d assembled now, my chest tightened again.
It would’ve been better if we had at least one healer, but there was nothing to be done.
Since we were still in the early stages, I’d have to endure as long as I could before transferring to a guild.
With that thought, I lost my appetite for drinking and stood up from my seat.
“Hey, hey? Sung-jun, where are you going?”
“C-come on, shouldn’t we hit up a second place?”
“You two go by yourselves. I’m not interested.”
With that, I left the place.
I could act like a king here, but in the hunter world, I was just another tank getting pushed around by healers.
At least I wasn’t at the very bottom.
‘Tsk, my mood’s completely ruined.’
Times like this, I missed Kim Min-jun’s absence.
If he were here, I could’ve vented all my frustrations on him.
Actually, no.
‘Maybe I’ll see him again someday.’
He seems to have awakened too.
I hope he got a dealer trait rather than being powerless.
So I could play with him like before.
4.
Since ancient times, humanity has always progressed.
Beginning with hunting and advancing toward more efficient methods, eventually domesticating livestock.
Raids followed the same trajectory.
In the early days when the System and monsters first emerged, raids were truly wild—primitive and untamed.
A regression to methods of the distant past.
Yet humanity adapted swiftly.
As we always have.
Thus raids became systematized.
While the System revealed the Disaster Levels that indicated a monster’s strength, it was humanity that coined the term “Disaster Zone” to describe the ecosystems of monsters corresponding to each level.
Humanity also discovered that items dropped by slain monsters fell within ±1 of their Disaster Level.
Strategies were developed for each monster type, and unlike the chaotic early days, raid safety had increased exponentially.
Basic raid information was readily accessible on Hunter Net, where any hunter could find it.
This was precisely why I could prepare so thoroughly.
A polished leather armor that gleamed brilliantly, an elegant hood adorned with gold embroidery draped over it, and finally a staff embedded with a large crystal.
Flawless equipment, each piece exceptional.
Of course, none of it was mine.
While each item was appropriate for Level 1, they were all premium equipment worth well over ten million won—far beyond my means to purchase.
‘I never expected the Association to lend me everything just because I’m a healer.’
Especially that measurement room staff member who resembled Ma Dong-sik—he even gave me preferential treatment and loaned me the gear.
It was overwhelming.
‘Get your head straight.’
I needed to grow accustomed to this kind of treatment and goodwill.
If I acted like a pushover, they might try to exploit me.
Fortunately, I’d done my research on Hunter Net.
I’d absorbed plenty of basic knowledge.
At least I wouldn’t be openly taken advantage of.
Still, posting that recruitment notice yesterday had been a mistake.
Anyone reading it would think: ‘Here’s a rookie healer—come take advantage of me.’
‘I didn’t know healers were supposed to send direct messages to recruitment posts.’
Apparently, after some time, connections form naturally, and you can join whatever party you want.
Having just joined Hunter Net yesterday, I had no way of knowing.
Everyone has a first time, don’t they?
‘Was it around here?’
After posting my recruitment notice and selecting someone from hundreds of messages, I’d arranged to meet them near this location.
Why did I choose this person?
Simple.
“Are you healer Kim Min-jun, by any chance?”
Turning toward the voice calling me, I saw a man wearing expensive-looking armor, a massive shield, and a one-handed sword.
Unlike me, who wore Level 1 equipment that was valuable but clearly starter gear, his equipment looked genuinely high-quality.
Above all, a subtle glow emanated from every piece of equipment.
Evidence that each item bore enhancement values.
While one or two items might glow like that, the fact that all of them radiated light made it impossible to believe he was Level 1.
And for good reason.
He wasn’t Level 1 at all.
“Yes, I’m Kim Min-jun.”
“As I mentioned in the message, I’ll introduce myself again. I’m Choi Jung-min, a Level 2 tank from the Han-byul Guild. I look forward to a successful raid today.”
I didn’t falter or feel embarrassed at his remarkably courteous greeting.
Instead, I accepted it confidently and extended my hand for a handshake.
There was no need to react to each instance of this treatment and respect.
I would receive such treatment countless times in the future.
So I carried myself with exactly that attitude.
I wasn’t ignorant of a Reinforcement Mage’s value.
Without a doubt, I would receive even greater treatment ahead.
Unlike healers, wasn’t I one of a kind?
Though I would need to grow stronger first.
So I stepped forward with confidence.
It wasn’t entirely natural, but my sufficiently confident demeanor caused Choi Jung-min to revise his evaluation of me in his mind.
‘A novice, but a healer is still a healer, I suppose?’
Though I appeared somewhat inexperienced, would anyone dare mock a healer?
Choi Jung-min was no exception.
Among hunters, a healer was law itself, a king among men.
How many hunters had been unable to join raids after falling out of favor with healers?
Even if still inexperienced, a healer was a healer.
For that reason, Choi Jung-min never looked down on me.
His choice to select me based on my affiliation with the Han-byul Guild and my Level 2 status had been the right one.
“The other party members are gathered over there. As I informed you beforehand, aside from me, none of them are from the Han-byul Guild. I’ll show you the way.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I followed Choi Jung-min while suppressing the tremor of excitement and tension that coexisted within me, speaking with utmost courtesy and respect.
I was finally going into a raid.
No matter how systematized it was, it was still combat against monsters.
There was no way not to feel tension.
Moving toward where the party members were gathered, somewhat frozen in place.
I could see party members who looked quite displeased.
‘Ah.’
It seemed I had arrived late.
Even as a healer, I should probably apologize for this, right?
Just as I was about to apologize.
“What the hell. Even if we’re hunting a Level 1 Disaster Zone, who brings reinforced gear like some kind of idiot? But here we are?”
For a moment, I wasn’t sure who he was talking about.
From the fact that each of them carried weapons or items that gleamed with a subtle radiance, I could discern they were enhanced items.
Meanwhile, there was only one person who lacked items that emitted that gentle glow.
“Ah, me?”
What’s this? Cursing at me out of nowhere?
Kim Min-jun was momentarily flustered before he could gather his thoughts.
‘Could they not realize I’m 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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