Was Happy Being a Despised F-Rank Healer, You Know? - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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9. Final Dungeon (4)

 

The students’ expressions returned to combat-ready mode.

 

It would take a bit longer to reach the next section.

 

The light of the abyss flickered darkly on the floor.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

A terrible cry echoed from the end of the passage.

 

All the students stopped in their tracks.

 

I instinctively gripped the bag containing potions tighter.

 

“It’s here.”

 

Yuhan Seong said in a low voice.

 

The cry reverberated throughout the entire passage.

 

A sound like scraping together iron filings and twisting them.

 

The students’ shoulders tensed simultaneously.

 

Yuhan Seong raised his hand from the front and said.

 

“High chance it’s a mutated specimen.

 

Maintain distance and keep to your individual patterns.”

 

Hyun I-seo gathered more mana at his fingertips.

 

Blue flames swelled quietly beneath his palm.

 

It was the distinctive color since his abyss awakening.

 

Yu Hee drew her dagger and said.

 

“That cry… it wasn’t in the original data, was it?”

 

“It wasn’t.”

 

Lee Hae-sol answered.

 

“Either it’s a new pattern or this dungeon has been modified.”

 

I quietly steadied my breathing from behind as I watched the students.

 

This was the most dangerous moment.

 

The first cry.

 

The first appearance.

 

The first clash.

 

The potion bottles in my bag clinked together, making a small sound.

 

I instinctively reached in and pulled out two bottles.

 

One antidote potion to counter abyss-type poison.

 

One stamina recovery potion.

 

I looked for opportunities to distribute both to the students.

 

Yuhan Seong said.

 

“Hali, don’t come too far forward from the back.”

 

“Got it.”

 

I answered briefly and stepped further back.

 

Dust scattered like fragments from the end of the passage.

 

Something raised itself up on four legs.

 

Bent joints that could have been arms or legs embedded into the wall.

 

The light of the abyss swept across its surface, revealing its outline.

 

Twice the height.

 

A long, torn mouth.

 

No eyes, yet its cry surveyed the atmosphere as if it had them.

 

Lee Hae-sol drew in a breath.

 

“This… is much bigger than the official records.”

 

“No frontal assault when the pattern is unknown.”

 

Yuhan Seong said.

 

“Everyone maintain your roles.

 

I-seo conserve your mana, Yu Hee maintain diagonal positioning.

 

Hae-sol check the floor first.”

 

In that brief moment

 

The students positioned themselves precisely without needing orders.

 

Being a team was now ingrained in their bodies.

 

Watching them from behind, I felt a strange emotion for a moment.

 

Not anxiety, worry, or impatience

 

Something… similar to how parents feel watching their child’s performance.

 

The kids have really… gotten so much stronger.

 

But there was no time for sentiment.

 

The monster moved.

 

All four legs struck the ground simultaneously.

 

The floor resonated.

 

Yu Hee reacted first.

 

“Left side!”

 

Lee Hae-sol shouted.

 

“Floor vibration pattern abnormal, be careful!”

 

Hyun I-seo raised his hand high.

 

Blue flames climbed up his arm.

 

I tightened my grip on the bag again.

 

Ready to throw immediately if needed.

 

The monster’s mouth split open.

 

A second cry erupted.

 

It was a resonance that seemed to turn the entire passage upside down.

 

Before the second cry even finished, the monster leaped.

 

Its speed was impossibly fast.

 

All four students scattered simultaneously.

 

Each precisely in their assigned direction.

 

Yuhan Seong counterattacked first.

 

His blade tip grazed and dug into the monster’s front leg joint.

 

But it was harder than expected.

 

The sound of the blade being deflected echoed through the passage.

 

“It’s tough!”

 

Yuhan Seong shouted briefly.

 

In that gap, Lee Hae-sol instinctively touched the floor.

 

The floor pattern began to twist darkly.

 

If they had been even slightly late, the ground beneath their feet would have collapsed entirely.

 

“Jump!”

 

Everyone reacted simultaneously to Lee Hae-sol’s voice.

 

Four shadows shot upward at the same time.

 

The floor instantly cracked dark red

 

And the monster’s cry seeped deep into those cracks.

 

Hyun I-seo compressed mana in mid-air.

 

Blue flames separated from his hand and traced an arc.

 

The explosion was drowned out by the monster’s cry.

 

The flames struck the monster’s back plate.

 

Smoke and ash scattered.

 

But the monster didn’t fall.

 

Instead, it inflated its body even larger.

 

Yu Hee gritted her teeth and said.

 

“This… is the type that can’t control its strength.

 

We have to finish it in one go.”

 

Yuhan Seong landed on the ground, caught his breath,

 

and charged toward the monster’s head.

 

Meanwhile, Hyun I-seo was preparing his second attack.

 

It was as natural as if combat were part of his daily routine.

 

I watched the scene from behind, gripping the potion bottle in my hand even tighter.

 

At this rate, someone will get hurt soon.

 

I must not miss that moment.

 

The monster struck the ground.

 

A massive vibration spread out.

 

It would have been strange if the students hadn’t lost their footing.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

Yu Hee let out a short groan.

 

A red line appeared on her arm where the monster’s attack had grazed her.

 

I immediately pulled out an antidote potion from my bag.

 

If it’s Abyss poison, it spreads within seconds.

 

I can’t be late.

 

“Yu Hee!”

 

When I shouted, Yu Hee turned her head toward me.

 

I threw the bottle accurately.

 

Yu Hee caught it mid-air and drank it immediately.

 

Her body glowed blue.

 

The spreading poison was suppressed and its traces faded.

 

“Thanks!”

 

Yu Hee shouted while gasping for breath.

 

At the same time, Hyun I-seo’s second flame was completed.

 

The mana collided with the Abyss light and split into blue fragments.

 

Yuhan Seong leaped again toward the monster’s nape.

 

His sword and Hyun I-seo’s flame penetrated the monster’s vital point almost simultaneously.

 

The monster writhed greatly and its cry was cut off.

 

Its massive body collapsed to the ground.

 

A chilling silence flowed.

 

The students’ rough breathing could be heard.

 

I finally loosened my grip from behind.

 

The potion bottle was drenched with sweat.

 

Yu Hee spoke first.

 

“This one was really… dangerous.”

 

Lee Hae-sol exhaled and replied.

 

“But were we… really this good?”

 

Hyun I-seo looked at Yuhan Seong.

 

A brief glance passed between them.

 

Something like an indescribable emotion.

 

And all four of them looked at me almost simultaneously.

 

I was startled and waved my hands frantically.

 

“Why, why are you looking at me…?”

 

Yuhan Seong said in a low voice.

 

“Hali. Your potions… are too strong.”

 

For a moment, it became as quiet as if my heart had stopped.

 

I forced a smile.

 

“Really, it’s not. It’s just… they came out a bit excessive because they’re for testing.”

 

However, none of them looked convinced.

 

The students headed toward the inner part of the passage again.

 

That subtle atmosphere where they exchanged glances while preparing to move to the next section.

 

I clutched my bag tightly and followed behind.

 

My heart was beating fast.

 

The slope going down into the passage grew longer.

 

Moisture from the floor crept up through my shoe soles.

 

When I breathed in, I could faintly smell something like metal.

 

I kept rubbing the bag strap with my fingers.

 

Holding onto it made me feel a little better.

 

Even though this was the Final Dungeon, this section wasn’t originally the difficulty level students should face.

 

It was the middle section where psychological attacks and mobility attacks came simultaneously.

 

In the original work, everyone was greatly shaken in this section.

 

One person nearly lost consciousness and the remaining students suffered mental aftereffects.

 

Yu Hee whispered softly.

 

“Hali. Are you trembling right now?”

 

I couldn’t immediately say no.

 

My fingertips were a bit cold.

 

“It’s because the atmosphere is strange. The air in the passage feels… oppressive.”

 

Lee Hae-sol nodded from behind.

 

“The pattern is changing. The sensation is different from before.”

 

Hyun I-seo walked while looking straight ahead.

 

With his heightened senses after awakening, he would be the first to catch this flow.

 

The air current spreading in the darkness trembled and swayed slightly.

 

Yuhan Seong raised his hand.

 

We all stopped simultaneously.

 

He looked toward the end of the passage and said in a low voice.

 

“A sound. Something like a breathing sound.”

 

A chill ran down my spine.

 

It was that first sign from the original work.

 

My heart suddenly beat hard.

 

I opened my bag and gripped a mental stabilization potion so I could pull it out immediately.

 

It was an area-of-effect type with a strong fragrance.

 

While thinking it would be okay, I pressed the bottle with my finger once more.

 

Yuhan Seong whispered.

 

“Maintain distance. Tell me immediately if your vision wavers.”

 

All four people nodded.

 

Their expressions showed a mixture of familiarity and tension.

 

When we walked down a bit more, the passage widened.

 

Water was pooled thinly on the floor.

 

The water rippled very subtly.

 

I felt like something was crawling up from the darkness.

 

And then a crying sound was heard.

 

It sounded like a person crying, yet also like the desperate cry of an animal.

 

It was the cry of the Final Dungeon’s mid-boss.

 

Hyun I-seo said in a low voice.

 

“…It’s coming.”

 

My hand trembled slightly.

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