The Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with a Song - Chapter 23

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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 023
“What kind of person is the owner of a company that employs staff like you all?”
“Owner? Ah, you mean the boss?”
Lucy settled gently onto my palm. Then, as if playing around, he began rolling about wildly and laughing.
To be honest, if it were that shadow form from earlier, it might have felt somewhat unsettling, but since he resembled a miniature Jung Hwan-jae doll, he only seemed adorable.
“We don’t have such a concept. We simply borrowed the human language and use the word ‘staff’ as a convenient term.”
“Ah, so it’s not a company?”
“Correct. We merely borrowed the name of the closest equivalent collective by human standards. You could ask that staff member over there, and they would explain it to you.”
But asking Liri such things felt awkward. It wasn’t that I doubted her abilities—rather, I was asking for far too many unnecessary things.
If I kept pestering her with personal questions, she might grow tired of me and think, “You don’t seem capable of having a dedicated staff member yet,” and abandon me.
“By the way, Lucy, is it really okay for you to converse so freely with another staff member’s contractor?”
“It’s possible. I have no intention of harming Yeom Ye-ah. Besides, I’m in no position to attack right now. I don’t have the authority.”
Lucy pouted his lips.
‘Superior staff members can interfere to some extent with the contractors of inferior staff members, but the reverse is impossible.’
I recalled what Liri had said—she who had already become a hamster in my mind.
So Liri was a more powerful being than Lucy?
But my meager imagination couldn’t quite grasp that far.
As I made a bewildered expression, Lucy floated before my eyes.
“Of course, it’s fine for now. Your staff member can’t see you right now anyway. Ah, I should go. Take care, Jung Hwan-jae.”
“Huh? Why? Why can’t they see me?”
“Be careful. In the meantime, please respond to what Yeom Ye-ah says.”
“You’re really working me hard.”
Lucy grumbled about how exhausting it was just to manifest and converse, floating upward.
His body had become dangerously transparent compared to before, suggesting his claim about needing to leave wasn’t a lie.
Just before his body became completely transparent, Lucy turned back to look at me one last time.
“I received disciplinary action for trying to save you.”
The coffee had long since gone cold by then.
I was so caught up replaying Lucy’s words that I didn’t even notice whether the coffee was going up my nose or into my mouth.
So when I was in danger earlier, Liri took some action to save me, and she received discipline for it?
But throughout my entire fight with Siren, I was alone. I never sensed that anyone was helping me.
“Yeom Ye-ah, don’t think too deeply about it. Lucy has experienced similar situations before.”
“Ah, did I look that serious?”
“Quite serious. The coffee you’re drinking right now is also mine.”
This is driving me crazy.
I startled and looked down, only to realize I was indeed holding coffee in both hands.
When I’m flustered, I really do the most ridiculous things.
Meanwhile, this person was watching me drink his coffee with an expression that seemed to say, “Well, I suppose you wanted some too,” and I couldn’t help but think, “This person really is something.”
Since I’d already put my lips on it and couldn’t very well return it, I stood there stupidly until he spoke, seemingly wanting to ease the tension.
“People who recently awakened or became Hunters often see their contracted staff members receive discipline for overexerting themselves. It’s not an uncommon occurrence.”
“Ah… so what kind of actions typically result in discipline? What are the specifics?”
He dragged a single-seat sofa over so I could sit, even as I remained dazed. As I settled into it and looked up at him, he continued speaking, his restless pacing never ceasing.
“Most people don’t place much importance on interaction. The more interactions there are, the greater the degree of intervention a Staff member can exercise. When that threshold is exceeded, disciplinary action is taken.”
“In my case, was it when I tried to forcibly summon an Avatar, or something like that?”
“Yes, that could be it, or perhaps they intervened in your status window.”
‘I cast Commander of the Battlefield.’
The status window that had appeared without all the usual prefixes attached—was that what he meant?
Though the data wasn’t extensive, every skill so far had displayed all three status windows only after I performed the casting action, and only then did it proceed.
While the duration wasn’t long, the fact that the skill had been cast while skipping that time made me think the status window had exercised some flexibility in consideration of the situation.
“Guild Master, when you use a skill, how many status windows appear for you?”
“None appear for me anymore. Since the skills I use are already determined, there’s no need to inform me of the search results. It means enough data has accumulated.”
“So shorter casting times require proficiency?”
“Yes, it’s essentially the Staff member’s authority. Lucy arbitrarily skipped that at first and received disciplinary action. I don’t know the details. But it doesn’t last more than a few days.”
Jung Hwan-jae seemed to notice that I wanted to ask about the specific nature of the punishment.
I couldn’t trouble him further. I understood that much at least. He’d already spent considerable time bringing me into the Dungeon.
Moreover, he’d even cried right after coming out of the Dungeon, so the psychological toll must have been significant. I rose quietly and bowed to him in gratitude.
“Thank you for your concern. I feel like I’ve taken up too much of your time already. I think it’s best I head out now.”
“I’ll see you—”
“No, I’ll be fine going alone. There are things I need to check on the way, and I feel like I’ve troubled you enough today.”
“You’re not upset because of the mistake I made today, are you?”
Even if I were upset over such a thing, I’d already received apologies to the point of excess, and I’d seen him fumble through his words. I was simply a bit tired physically.
So much had happened, and I wanted to find a quiet place to open my Guide and look it over.
Faced with my stubborn resolve, Jung Hwan-jae soon nodded in acceptance.
“Should I return the equipment?”
“There’s no need. You’ll need to wear it the next time you enter a Dungeon.”
“…Does it need repairs?”
He answered with a light nod instead. Indeed, it didn’t appear to have a single scratch on it.
Even this much would be a considerable sum, but from what I’d glimpsed a few days ago, he had items far better than this stacked like merchandise in a dress shop.
Hanttae’s financial resources might be hundreds of times greater than what I imagined.
“Ah, and I’ll be taking this.”
“Pardon?”
Just as I was naturally preparing to leave, he reached out and smoothly took both cups of coffee from my hands.
He’d extended his hands so naturally that I’d released both cups just as naturally. Holding a cup in each hand, he shrugged his shoulders.
“Excessive caffeine consumption prevents sleep at night. I could adjust my schedule to match yours, but it’s still better for your health to sleep at night and be active during the day.”
“Ah, I could have just thrown them away.”
“Please let me do at least this much.”
When two stubborn people face off, even trivial exchanges become lengthy. This time, I was the one who surrendered.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t heard anything about what happened to him after Siren dragged me away, but accumulated fatigue came crashing down, so I decided to put that off until tomorrow or the day after.
With coffee cups in both hands just like I’d had before, he walked me to the door.
“Well then, I’ll be going. Please come inside. You’ve worked hard.”
“Take care getting home. Contact me immediately if anything happens.”
“Yes, I’ll send you a message.”
While everything had been crashing down on me and my body remained taut with tension, I hadn’t noticed the exhaustion. But the moment I stepped outside, fatigue crashed over me like a wave. If I went home like this, I’d collapse the instant I arrived.
I rode my bicycle home and sank my body into a bathtub filled to the brim with hot water.
‘I should become one with the bathwater, just like this…’
Soaking my body in hot water before sleep whenever I was hurt or tired was an old habit of mine.
I changed into pajamas and threw myself onto the bed. With my wet hair kept away from the pillow, I propped myself up halfway against the headboard.
Even without Liri, I could still summon my status window.
You may now access the Ragnarok Guide. Would you like to view it?

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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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