The Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with a Song - Chapter 146

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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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Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with Song – Episode 146
He waited for me in front of the Dungeon every single time I underwent solo play training.
Whether it took an hour to clear or twelve hours, he never left that spot.
Nike, perhaps bearing the shame of failing to protect us once before, made sure no one could approach our vicinity afterward.
Thanks to that, Jung Hwan-jae was never photographed or exposed, but I still felt apologetic about it.
“You really don’t need to wait for me every time like this. I can just teleport back on my own.”
“Ye-ah said she wanted to see me.”
“That’s true, but still.”
“I wanted to see Ye-ah as well, so it’s only right that I wait.”
“Not a single word out of place from beginning to end, yet somehow I feel swept up in this.”
After Jung Hwan-jae waited for me for twelve hours, the return journey took only four seconds.
All he had to do was take the teleport back.
Since it connected directly into the Nike Building, it would have been more convenient to wait there, but Jung Hwan-jae was stubborn.
“Honestly, I thought becoming a Ranker would make things incredibly convenient.”
“Isn’t it convenient?”
“I never imagined that everywhere I go, people would recognize me and I’d have to move around so secretively.”
A privileged person’s complaint.
Before my awakening, I had no idea how much I suffered watching that pittance of a salary slip through my bank account.
Now, there are so many zeros attached to it.
Even if countless eyes follow me everywhere, it’s far safer and more comfortable than back then.
“On our dates, I’ll make sure no one comes near us.”
“But this isn’t Korea or Hanttae—how would you manage that?”
“Well, I’d cut down everything around us if necessary.”
Jung Hwan-jae delivered the joke with a serious expression.
I knew it was a joke, but when the Rank 1 Hunter says something like that, naturally my heart skips a beat.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Yes, I don’t harm civilians.”
He gave me a puzzled look, as if he’d expected me to understand that naturally.
“Did you perhaps think I’m that kind of person, Ye-ah…?”
“No, I never thought you would be, but a few days ago you said something about wanting to cut down Hunter Shunt, so that came to mind.”
“Ah, that was sincere.”
“It’s still a bit difficult for me to understand the distinction between your jokes and your serious remarks….”
I thought I’d finally learned to read Jung Hwan-jae properly, but moments like these made me acutely aware of my mistake.
The aftermath of my failed joke returned as a heavy silence.
He wore an expression as if he were retracing every moment from the joke he’d just made all the way back to his sincere words about Shunt.
I hesitated whether to break Jung Hwan-jae’s reverie or leave it alone, and in that deliberation, I missed the timing to laugh it off entirely.
….
….
In a moment of carelessness, silence filled the space between us.
I could barely breathe.
[Liri: I think those two should learn a bit more about how to make small talk.]
‘I know that too. But if Liri keeps butting in at moments like this, I’ll be even more embarrassed.’
[Liri: They say a joke that needs explanation is a failed joke. What do we do about this?]
Liri wasn’t interested in helping me out of this predicament—she was simply teasing me, clearly finding this terrifying silence rather amusing.
How was I supposed to dispel this atmosphere?
This delicate tension persisted until we returned to the floor that had been prepared for us.
Nike seemed to think that since three people from Hanttae had come, they deserved more VIP treatment than what had been provided before.
They gave us an entire floor complete with a luxurious lobby.
Only when Jung Hwan-jae returned after bringing coffee for the two of us could I finally manage to speak.
“…Would you tell me what happened in the dungeon earlier?”
“Please do.”
Jung Hwan-jae answered quickly, seemingly relieved that I’d initiated conversation.
I’d made him feel awkward and embarrassed.
I deliberately extended my hand with an exaggerated gesture, making it somewhat obvious.
The Terraforming Ring fitted on my finger gleamed and sparkled brilliantly.
As if sensing my desire to showcase it, the ring radiated with a luminous glow.
“You’ve accomplished something else with that ring.”
“I conducted more research with it. I finished my research while we were clearing the dungeon, so I wanted to test it out.”
“What do you want to test? If you need a sparring partner, I’m happy to oblige.”
He seemed ready to volunteer himself as a test subject if I merely mentioned wanting to practice a new song.
Wait, is he serious…?
“Would you really become a test subject if I said I wanted to learn a new song?”
“What?”
Seeing his expression of confusion, I finally felt reassured.
So it wasn’t quite to that extent….
“I’m not sure why you’d ask something so obvious.”
Looking at Jung Hwan-jae’s expression, this was something that couldn’t be dismissed as a joke even if I died and came back to life.
The man standing before me was sincere.
He knew better than anyone the destructive power that occurred when my singing became an attack skill, yet he answered so casually.
“It could be genuinely dangerous, you know? No one can predict what might happen.”
“That’s precisely why I should be the one to do it. Among all the people living on this land right now, I’m probably the only one with even a slight chance of surviving Ye-ah’s song.”
“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”
Jung Hwan-jae said he would become my test subject, but he never said he would accept the attack gracefully.
The only person capable of evading or deflecting any attack I unleashed.
Rather than worrying about me, he was simply making an objective judgment.
I shouldn’t foolishly mistake this for special treatment, yet somehow I found myself thinking exactly that.
[Liri: Ye-ah, you’re an idiot.]
‘You’re right, I am an idiot….’
[Liri: Though I suspect we’re calling you an idiot for completely opposite reasons.]
[Liri: Since I love Ye-ah so very much, I won’t tell you what the misunderstanding is.]
Liri said something I found difficult to comprehend.
It seemed she had no intention of explaining further, as no more messages followed after that.
“Ye-ah?”
“Oh, I apologize. Liri sent me a message. Where were we?”
“You were showing the ring.”
Jung Hwan-jae, who handed me a coffee cup while I still held my hand outstretched, sat down beside me.
“Ah, this time I researched mana fusion. That’s what it’s about.”
“Mana fusion, you say….”
“Simply put, when I give my senior mana, it blends within their body. That sort of thing.”
As I spoke, it sounded rather peculiar.
My thoughts momentarily stalled, causing my words to stumble.
An awkward silence descended for a brief moment.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Jung Hwan-jae seemed not to notice my hesitation.
“Anyway, when I give mana to my senior, I felt like I was giving it too raw. I thought my senior wouldn’t tell me even if there were side effects.”
“There are no side effects, so I’d say there aren’t any.”
“But this one won’t admit it even if there are side effects.”
Lucy, who had suddenly manifested in doll form, interjected with a smirk.
“Even if there actually are side effects, you might not notice. After all, mana has been constantly leaking out, so you’ve been suffering from chronic fatigue.”
“Lucy.”
Jung Hwan-jae suddenly reached out and grabbed Lucy’s body, as if to stop him from interrupting.
His short limbs flailed briefly before going limp, and he vanished as if giving up.
“No, really, there are no side effects. This fatigue isn’t because of Ye-ah.”
“So I figured out an easier way to achieve fusion.”
I spoke without giving it much thought.
Jung Hwan-jae, who was about to defend himself, stopped abruptly.
I extended my hand toward him. Jung Hwan-jae blinked as our hands clasped together almost instinctively.
“Humans must always breathe, after all.”
“That’s right.”
“So if it’s transmitted from breath to breath, it should work.”
“…Pardon?”
I whistled lightly. In an instant, green musical notes floated gently into the air.
“I’ll send it mixed with my breath. Please receive it quickly.”

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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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