Was Happy Being a Despised F-Rank Healer, You Know? - Chapter 60

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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 (8)

 

Two long arms emerged first, followed by the body crawling out.

 

It moved with deformed, twisted curves.

 

A swaying trajectory, as if unable to determine direction.

 

Hae-sol immediately shouted.

 

“That thing doesn’t have a consistent pattern! It’s a random variant type!”

 

Yu Hee moved while spinning her dagger.

 

“It’s going to take time to figure it out!”

 

Yuhan Seong was already within attack range.

 

He selected a position to draw the monster’s attention and began landing precise strikes.

 

Each time his sword clashed, a clear sound rang out and the monster’s balance wavered.

 

I steadied my breathing and raised one hand, simultaneously shattering two types of potions on the ground.

 

One was for concentration.

 

One was for stamina.

 

Light quietly scattered and mixed into the air.

 

Yu Hee reacted immediately.

 

“Hali, that just now… Good. My movements are much smoother.”

 

Hae-sol also said.

 

“Me too. My breathing isn’t getting ragged at all.”

 

Hyun I-seo adjusted his magic trajectory and grabbed the monster’s left leg to disrupt its movement.

 

Each time his magic struck, the monster’s eyes flickered violently.

 

The monster suddenly twisted its body.

 

All its fin-like tentacles spread out like a fan, casting shadows on the ground.

 

I immediately shouted.

 

“Avoid the left and get out!”

 

The students all reacted simultaneously.

 

Yuhan Seong dove to the right, Yu Hee circled around to attack from behind, and Hyun I-seo finished from above.

 

One monster collapsed to the ground.

 

But another cry erupted from below.

 

It was a low, prolonged sound that hadn’t been heard before.

 

It felt like my heart went cold for a moment.

 

Yu Hee drew in a breath.

 

“…Is this really supposed to be the Final Dungeon?”

 

Hae-sol scratched his head.

 

“There are too many. The patterns are mixed too. I heard they don’t design dungeons like this.”

 

Yuhan Seong silently walked forward.

 

“The only thing certain is that it’s not over yet.”

 

I quietly followed behind him, recalculating in my mind.

 

In the original story, there weren’t this many additional monsters at this point.

 

The aftermath of the second party’s annihilation was supposed to ripple back and affect our section, but the structure itself wasn’t supposed to shake like this.

 

This Final Dungeon was becoming stronger ‘overall’ to this extent.

 

Whether it was the influence of the abyss, emergency measures by the Academy, or some other reason was still unknown.

 

But one thing was certain.

 

The students had managed to hold on without major injuries so far, and while other parties had retreated here and there, no news of total annihilation had been heard.

 

I let out a small breath.

 

‘Right. It’s been okay so far.’

 

‘Even if some balance is gradually changing because of me…’

 

‘As long as the result is in a good direction, that’s what matters.’

 

The passage ahead caught the light.

 

It was the entrance to the next section.

 

The students naturally reformed their battle formation.

 

I gripped my bag strap and slowly moved forward with them.

 

The exam wasn’t over yet.

 

The entrance to the next section was obscured by low-hanging mist.

 

Light faintly scattered as it flowed across the ground, and the air felt oppressive.

 

I tried taking a breath.

 

Along with the damp smell, there was a very faint herbal scent layered on top.

 

This wasn’t a naturally occurring pattern.

 

Yu Hee spoke first.

 

“…The smell here is kind of strange, isn’t it?”

 

Hyun I-seo nodded.

 

“To be precise, the mist density isn’t consistent. It’s mixed. This shows signs of someone’s intention.”

 

Yuhan Seong raised his sword to reflect it in the mist.

 

The blade rippled hazily, and the mist was pushed back slightly before filling in again.

 

The air flow wasn’t natural either.

 

“We’ll secure visibility first. Enter slowly.”

 

Hae-sol checked the ground first.

 

“The pattern is clean… Hmm. But the air pattern is twisted instead. I get the feeling that breathing will gradually drain stamina.”

 

At those words, I immediately opened my bag.

 

I took out a basic detox potion I had diluted beforehand and gently shook it near the ground to mix it into the air layer.

 

Pale light spread and the mist retreated a little.

 

Yu Hee said.

 

“Hali, you really figure out stuff like this like a ghost.”

 

I smiled.

 

“I just… got that feeling.”

 

Yuhan Seong looked at me silently.

 

It was brief, but his eyes seemed to be making some kind of judgment.

 

It wasn’t suspicion, but closer to observation.

 

As we entered the mist, our footsteps sounded damp.

 

The walls and floor were all moist, as if soaked with moisture.

 

The mana density flowing throughout the map had also increased slightly.

 

I recalled the structure in my mind.

 

In the latter half of the Final Dungeon, it was precisely in this fog area where about two people would drop out from hyperventilation and hallucination symptoms.

 

Originally, the instructor channel should have been in an uproar at this point.

 

But now it was quiet.

 

Yuhan Seong said.

 

“The mist is thick. What about the pattern?”

 

Hyun I-seo felt the flow ahead and said.

 

“…It’s not a hallucination type, but there’s a stamina absorption type mixed in. Even just staying still will gradually drain your energy.”

 

Hae-sol immediately followed up.

 

“Then of course we need to move. Staying here long would be a loss.”

 

Yu Hee laughed playfully.

 

“There was never a reason to stay long anyway.”

 

The students’ pace quickened.

 

I controlled myself not to use more potions from behind.

 

Right now, enduring while passing through was more important than immediate recovery.

 

Then a small sound came from within the mist.

 

Snap.

 

It sounded like something breaking.

 

Yuhan Seong raised his hand to make them stop.

 

“Ahead.”

 

The mist slowly parted, revealing black entities.

 

There were two of them.

 

Shadow-like forms crawling on the ground.

 

Their claws scraped against the concrete floor, making noise.

 

They were monsters with only bodies and no heads.

 

Hae-sol immediately said.

 

“Pretty strong for small fry?”

 

Hyun I-seo raised his hand and gathered mana.

 

“They’re fast, so the pattern could get messed up. Be careful.”

 

The monster leaped up.

 

Yu Hee responded first with a sideways swing, and Yuhan Seong struck down from above, breaking its balance.

 

Hyun I-seo’s magic followed.

 

I detonated a potion from behind.

 

Light seeped into the mist, briefly brightening our vision.

 

The students’ breathing became lighter simultaneously.

 

Yu Hee shouted.

 

“Hali! That was good just now!”

 

I said briefly.

 

“Yeah. Need more?”

 

“Still okay for now! Just check a little further ahead!”

 

Both monsters collapsed at the same time.

 

They crumbled on the floor and disappeared, lifting the darkness.

 

But the mist was still thick.

 

Yuhan Seong looked around and said.

 

“This section has gotten much longer than usual. The early terrain has been completely transformed.”

 

Hae-sol said coldly.

 

“Are they doing this to adjust the test difficulty?”

 

I thought quietly to myself.

 

‘No. This is worse than that.’

 

‘The entire dungeon is shaking.’

 

The students formed up again.

 

I adjusted my bag one last time and waited for this fog area to end.

 

Then something like faint crying could be heard from beyond the mist.

 

Lower, longer, and completely different in nature.

 

The crying-like sound continued long again.

 

Not just once, but intermittently breaking and repeating.

 

Not from within the mist, but beyond it, from somewhere a bit deeper.

 

I listened carefully.

 

This wasn’t a monster’s cry.

 

The pattern was too regular and too ‘artificial.’

 

Hyun I-seo also seemed to hear it and stopped.

 

“…That sounds like a human voice.”

 

Yu Hee frowned.

 

“But isn’t it too thin? It sounds like a child crying too.”

 

Yuhan Seong lowered his stance and said.

 

“We move to the end outside the mist. Maintain formation and don’t move carelessly.”

 

The students moved their steps in order.

 

The sound became clearer and clearer.

 

Once, twice, three times.

 

The intervals were regular.

 

It was like a signal sound someone was making intentionally.

 

I recalled that scene from the original work in my head.

 

‘Here… two students went down the wrong path.’

 

‘Lured by the crying.’

 

‘And then the mist closed off…’

 

I took a deep breath.

 

Then I stepped forward and said.

 

“Don’t react to the crying. That’s not a path guide… it’s bait.”

 

Hae-sol’s eyes widened.

 

“Bait?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

I pointed to the flow at the bottom of the mist, on the floor.

 

“The direction of the sound and the floor pattern are completely different. Something like that… someone put it there.”

 

Yu Hee immediately said.

 

“Then ignoring it and passing by would be the right answer?”

 

Yuhan Seong briefly examined my face and nodded.

 

“Hali is right. It’s a structure where the mist follows movement. If we change direction, the passage will change form.”

 

Hyun I-seo read the mist flow again and said.

 

“…Right now, we just need to go straight ahead to connect. If we turn sideways, the path will be sealed.”

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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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