The Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with a Song - Chapter 48

—————
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 048
“Why are there so many people here?”
“It’s the Guild Master’s first ranking tournament. People are naturally interested in these things. Baldur doesn’t schedule matches between ranks 1 through 20 simultaneously unless they’re fighting each other.”
“So we have to watch?”
“Yes.”
Sung Ji-wook, who had been explaining, shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders.
Most hunters who were eliminated on the first day had left unless they had business to attend to, so it was noticeably quieter than yesterday.
Since he was a healer like me, he had fewer ranking matches than most.
Originally he should have fought Kim Kyung-hoon, but since he didn’t participate in the ranking tournament, my only remaining opponent was Rosalind Brown.
I didn’t consider Hwa-jon since he had surrendered in front of me.
“Is it possible to not attend the ranking tournament?”
“It’s not mandatory. But ranking out is pretty fatal, so most people try to participate if they can.”
It meant something serious enough to risk ranking out. Privately, I was worried he might crush me thoroughly in the ranking tournament.
My next opponent would be determined by the outcome of Rosalind Brown and Sung Ji-wook’s match. I wasn’t underestimating him, but I hoped my next opponent wouldn’t be Rosalind Brown.
Looking at the situation so far, no matter how I looked at it, I’d end up fighting Rosalind Brown.
Watching him stick by my side and earnestly explain things made me feel guilty for thinking this way.
It felt like I was pouring every ounce of effort into drawing out whatever social skills I had, completely going against my original nature these past few days.
Compared to when I barely acknowledged his greetings, my feelings were quite different now.
“The Guild Master usually gets nervous before the ranking tournament and goes in ten minutes early, so he won’t be able to talk now. Should we grab some coffee…? Do you like coffee…?”
“Joke, I’m sorry, but when is Dante coming?”
“He’s over there. You haven’t seen him before, right? He doesn’t come to Korea much.”
He casually gestured to one side.
I could see a man occupying the front seat of the scoreboard. He was a head taller than those around him, standing with his arms crossed as he watched the scoreboard.
His wheat-colored brown hair swayed slowly each time he turned his head.
Countless people glanced back and forth between the scoreboard and him, as if imagining a ranking match between Dante and Jung Hwan-jae.
After putting Jung Hwan-jae to sleep yesterday, I had done my own thorough research.
Ranker Wiki
Dante: Real name unknown. Age 29.
Survived being caught up in Ragnarok and awakened at 19 simultaneously, maintaining rank 1 until the ranking tournament with Jung Hwan.
He was a long-standing banner hunter of Nike, and after the previous Guild Master’s retirement, he now serves as the current Guild Master. However, the actual operations are handled by other experienced hunters, while Dante focuses on strategy and promotion.
Before Hanttae was established, he tried to recruit Jung Hwan, but after a series of events (Hanttae’s founding, his defeat after the ranking tournament with Jung Hwan), instead of recruiting Jung Hwan, he has been weakening Nike by merging Hanttae or taking its affiliated hunters.
Nike: Undisputedly the world’s number one guild and the world’s first guild. It boasts a long history and contributed greatly to the conclusion of Ragnarok. It recruits guild members worldwide, but in Korea, where rankers are relatively concentrated, it struggles comparatively, because domestically Hanttae’s power is stronger than Nike’s status.
I was thinking that he likely harbored some sense of rivalry or even resentment toward Jung Hwan-jae. Considering all the circumstances, wasn’t that possibility quite strong?
I even arbitrarily speculated that the reason he was taking people from Hanttae was retaliatory above all else, and I ground my teeth.
Though it probably wouldn’t happen, I even simulated in my head what I’d say to refuse if Dante made a recruitment offer to me.
I sent a sharp glare toward the back of his head without realizing it.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Oh, no. My eyes are irritated. I should use some artificial tears.”
I pretended to rummage through my pockets, but his face, which had been fixed on the scoreboard, suddenly turned back. In that instant, I made direct eye contact with his pale green eyes.
Wondering if he was actually looking at me, I took a few steps to the side, but his gaze didn’t leave me.
In an instant, his eyes curved into crescents. The inexplicable smile he offered made me even more uneasy. Did he know I was glaring at him?
Sung Ji-wook, who had been alternating his gaze between me and Dante, stepped protectively in front of me. Dante, who had been smiling readily at me, turned his attention back to the scoreboard.
Surely he wasn’t recording this.
“Even if Dante tries to recruit you, you have to refuse. I don’t want to see the Guild Master lose someone he treasures so much.”
“…Yes!”
“Let’s begin.”
He shifted the topic matter-of-factly, as if that response was sufficient. I had no mental capacity to continue the conversation either, so I turned my attention to the scoreboard.
The scoreboard illuminated, and the broadcast began.
On the massive screen, Jung Hwan-jae stood facing an unfamiliar hunter.
Lava-like substances surged from all directions, and a bubbling crimson liquid surrounded the two fighters.
The heat was so intense that merely watching it made my face flush, yet the two standing face-to-face showed no beads of sweat—they looked pristine.
[Hunter ‘Jung Hwan’ VS Hunter ‘Rensi’]
Unless one was an ardent hunter fanatic, few bothered to memorize rankings or faces.
It was hardly surprising that I didn’t recognize this hunter named Rensi.
Everyone’s gaze was drawn to the left where Jung Hwan-jae stood. He calmly surveyed his surroundings.
His lips were moving as if he were speaking, but the audio wasn’t being broadcast.
If that was the case, why had Hwa-jon gone to such lengths to use his skill to block people’s view?
“Quite audacious. He’s saying right in front of the Guild Master that he controls water, so he’ll be stronger.”
“What? I can’t hear him.”
“I’m reading his lips.”
Before I could even react to Sung Ji-wook’s statement, I realized that everyone huddled together was interpreting the conversation the same way.
Except for a few, these were hunters with fairly high rankings, which is why they remained until the next day, but even so, this was somewhat frightening.
Jung Hwan-jae made no lip movements and merely gave a light nod—nothing more.
Transparent water droplets began to shimmer across Rensi’s body.
“You need to concentrate from here on. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to see it. Since the Guild Master is watching you fight for the first time, I’ll make it a bit more flashy on purpose.”
“What?”
“That’s just how hunters are. When they have an audience, they fight to look impressive.”
Sung Ji-wook, who had been speaking incomprehensibly, also fixed his gaze intently on the scoreboard. It was a formidable concentration.
At that moment, the figures on the scoreboard began to move.
The foam enveloping Rensi transformed into water jets in unison, spraying toward Jung Hwan-jae.
Without even materializing a weapon, he kicked off the ground—a clean, efficient dash that allowed no waste.
Launching himself into the air, he gracefully traced a curve, slashing his hand as if cutting through the incoming water jets.
‘Can you even cut water?’
But the one fighting before my eyes was Jung Hwan-jae.
No matter how defenseless he appeared before me, he was the one who had dethroned the unshakeable Rank 1 hunter who had held that position for years.
Water defeats fire. But overwhelming firepower annihilates water. From Jung Hwan-jae’s fingertips, a dark crimson light scattered, and soon it ravenously consumed the water jets.
Yes, there was no other word for it but devouring. Not in the shape of a scythe, but like a serpent, the flames tore through the water jets and surged toward Rensi’s body.
“If that hits him, he’ll die, won’t he?”
My voice grew louder without my realizing it. But Sung Ji-wook was so concentrated that he didn’t even answer me.
The flames passed by Rensi and immediately clung to the lava behind him.
Only then did I realize that Rensi was retreating step by step, overwhelmed by the vast disparity in power.
Everything unfolded faster than my eyes could follow.
Jung Hwan-jae, having landed on the wet floor, pushed off and closed the distance in a single stride.
“Jung Hwan’s a bit slower than usual.”
“Right? Why is he dragging it out like this?”
‘It hasn’t even been thirty seconds.’
Lava and flames at my back, Jung Hwan-jae before my eyes—I was trapped between two infernos. My earlier bravado had become utterly meaningless.
Standing inches from Rensi’s face, Jung Hwan-jae gazed down at him. Though the scoreboard showed only his silhouette, I could see Rensi’s expression crumbling in real time.
The mana and aura of a hunter so overwhelming that merely standing before him induced a sense of complete domination.
Rensi’s body went limp, collapsing into unconsciousness without the slightest movement.
In that instant, a massive banner materialized.
[‘The match between Jung Hwan and Rensi has concluded.’]
[‘Since Rensi has become unable to continue fighting, Jung Hwan is declared the victor.’]
I checked the time.
The entire battle had taken forty-two seconds.

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