The Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with a Song - Chapter 45

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with Song – Episode 045
I didn’t bother turning around. The moment I did, my eyes would meet Jung Hwan-jae’s, and everything I’d pretended to be strong about would crumble into lies.
I should be grateful that Liri wasn’t coming to find me right now. My hands were trembling uncontrollably.
Hwa-jon is a magnanimous hunter. Throughout the ranking tournaments, he’s never fought with his full strength against opponents—instead, he either creates the illusion of a good fight or becomes a stepping stone for others to advance.
Yet despite deliberately tarnishing his own reputation this way, the fact that he consistently faces exceptional healers in ranking tournaments meant his innate talent was beyond imagination.
The moment I opened the Divine Temple door, a prismatic light engulfed me.
Ranking Tournament Participant Entry Confirmed (2/2)
Transmitting to battle arena.
A faint dizziness washed over me—different from a typical teleportation.
Massive windows streaked past my vision.
Baldur pledges to continually advance toward countless worlds facing endless ruin.
Please prioritize safety and do your utmost in this duel.
As if the message had sensed my reading pace, it vanished in an instant, and the surroundings transformed.
A fresh floral scent drifted from afar—so sweet and invigorating that my tension melted away. If I had to name the season this place most resembled, it would be spring.
The sky was white, and the ground gleamed with golden radiance.
Petals fell endlessly from the flowering trees that filled this space.
When I looked up, translucent petals of a form I’d never seen before fluttered down with a gentle sway.
They brushed my cheek with no harmful effect—the sensation was refreshing.
The moment I unconsciously reached out to catch a petal, a soft whisper reached my ear.
“We call them sorrow blossoms.”
I couldn’t even scream in surprise. The soft sensation against my nape was unmistakably hair.
Hwa-jon had approached without a sound and now stood behind me, his head slightly bowed, his gaze level with mine as he watched the falling petals.
He calmly caught the petal brushing my hand instead and placed it on his palm. Only then did reality crash back, and I quickly put distance between us.
His silver hair swayed gently in rhythm with the petals’ descent.
A soft smile graced his face as he gave a light bow in greeting.
“Pleased to meet you, Yeom. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“H-hello. I’m Yeom.”
I reflexively started to say my real name before stopping myself.
I realized this entire conversation was being broadcast on the screens, and Hwa-jon subtly shook his head—barely perceptible but unmistakable.
He was clearly warning me: don’t reveal your true name.
I hadn’t spotted Kim Kyung-hoon among the people waiting outside or visible on the broadcast screens. Though admittedly, there were quite a few spectators.
Hwa-jon lifted his gaze to the still-falling petals. It was an odd thought for this situation, but the view was truly breathtaking.
“Don’t worry. You said you’d do your best, but I have no intention of fighting. I’ll surrender shortly, so would you talk with me until then?”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
This is my weakness. When someone seems genuinely kind, my heart wavers without my control.
I gripped the in-ear device I was wearing—ready to respond to an attack at any moment—and closed the distance between us by a step or two.
He smiled calmly, as if to assure me he had no intention of attacking first.
Whether to win my favor or ease the tension, he spoke first and began walking slowly between the flowering trees.
Invisible threats frightened me more, so I began following him at a safe distance.
“They call it the Ailing Flower because it grows from the tears of creatures that died pining for something. Beings with low mana should be careful—inhaling its fragrance for too long can induce a mysterious homesickness for this world.”
“How do you know that?”
“I cleared a Dungeon with that environment about five years ago. People with low mana should be careful—if they breathe in the Ailing Flower’s scent too long, they’ll develop a nameless nostalgia for this world.”
I hastily pinched my nose shut.
He turned to look at me and laughed softly. For a moment I wondered if he was mocking me, but then he too covered his nose lightly with his sleeve.
His wide sleeve fluttered in the breeze. Perhaps the saying was true—that nature itself conspires to aid the beautiful.
Having grown accustomed to Jung Hwan-jae’s appearance, my standards for beauty had risen considerably, yet the person before me was beautiful enough to steal my gaze in an instant.
As I stared blankly with my nose covered, he lowered his hand with a smile.
“Just from what I can sense now, I don’t think you need to worry about your mana reserves. Have you relaxed a bit? Your first ranking tournament.”
“Well… no, actually even during a conversation like this, I’m still preparing to scream because I don’t know when you might attack me.”
My singing is still E+.
No matter what effort I make, I doubt he’d even twitch a finger.
Even if I attacked first, it seemed he would never retaliate.
In other words, no matter how hard I tried to attack, he seemed like someone already prepared to dodge.
I was increasingly convinced he wouldn’t attack me, yet strangely my tension didn’t ease. Perhaps it was because I knew this was real combat.
“Are you disappointed that I haven’t attacked at all? Does it seem like I’m looking down on you?”
“No, I know better than anyone that I’m not strong enough to be prideful. I understand that if you wanted to, someone like me wouldn’t even be worth fighting. I’m already grateful just to have the chance to advance to the next round.”
I’m someone capable of objectivity. In this situation, it would be reckless—not confidence—to insist on fighting alone.
My response seemed unexpected; he wore a surprised expression for a moment. It was similar to the look he’d shown at the gathering.
Though he seemed like a calm person, seeing expressions like this revealed his face was surprisingly expressive.
Perhaps it was the mysterious aura he emanated.
“I’m actually not very interested in ranking tournaments. I don’t think rankings are necessary for observing someone.”
He naturally drew something from his pocket. I wondered if it might be a weapon, but what he produced was a hair tie.
As he tied his long hair loosely, shorter strands fell to the side.
I reflexively widened the distance between us. But he closed it far more quickly.
Before I could dodge, his hand wrapped around my shoulder.
With that agility, a strong wind rose, and the petals already scattering in all directions dispersed fantastically.
In an instant, a whirlwind created by the flowers filled the space around us.
It wasn’t difficult to guess that Hwa-jon had deliberately created that wind. To escape from something.
“All healing in this world can become poison. That’s why it becomes troublesome when Hunters who’ve mastered healing arts grow strong.”
“Ah, I see…”
“If they set their minds to it with malice, they become those most capable of wielding extreme toxins.”
He kept his hand on my shoulder and closed his eyes. Energy began to circulate from my core.
As the energy that had been raging almost violently swept through my entire body, I felt invigorated instead, my body growing lighter.
At the mention of those capable of wielding extreme toxins, Kim Kyung-hoon’s face immediately came to mind.
Healers can directly influence human life. So he could do the same—a warning.
A window appeared before my eyes. It seemed Hwa-jon’s skill had activated.
‘Maze’ has been alleviated.
It wasn’t difficult to see that his action had granted me a buff. His touch was painless and without sensation as his hand moved across my nape and the back of my hand several more times.
Trying to escape from some gaze, he whispered with his lips nearly touching my ear.
“Think about why that entity responsible for you continues to protect you. And consider what becomes of those who lose such protection.”
‘Liri, and Harp.’
My expression seemed to say everything, and he gave a barely perceptible nod.
In an instant, the petals that had been swirling fiercely slowed, drifting lazily as they had when I first entered.
He summoned the surrender button as though nothing had happened. I barely managed to speak before he could press it.
“Why are you being so kind to me?”
He paused mid-motion, his finger hovering over the screen, and turned to face me.
As Hwa-jon brushed the hair from his face, blue eyes came into view. He smiled as he pressed the button.
“I hoped someone like you would choose something other than poison.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————