Was Happy Being a Despised F-Rank Healer, You Know? - Chapter 87

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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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12. Magpies and Jesters (6)

I took them out one by one and placed them on the floor.

The first was the Light Trajectory Feather.

It was a reward left by the First Clown.

A white feather the size of a palm that wouldn’t fall when placed in mid-air.

From the tip of the feather, very fine lines of light extended, moving along a fixed trajectory.

When activated, this feather briefly displays the ‘optimal evasion path’ along the user’s movement route.

Though the duration was short, it was a support reward that dramatically increased survival probability.

The second was the Snake’s Contract Scale.

It was a trace of the Second Clown.

A single dark green scale that felt slightly cooler than body temperature when touched.

It granted resistance to poison while allowing detection of nearby toxic entities for a certain period.

However, prolonged use carried the dangerous trait of dulling the user’s senses as well.

True to a jester’s nature, it was a reward with a clear price.

The third was the Mirror’s Separated Eye.

It was in the form of a small, transparent orb, but something resembling a pupil definitely floated inside.

This reward temporarily grants the ‘ability to distinguish between real and fake.’

By selecting one target within sight, you could intuitively know whether that target was false or not.

The problem was the number of uses.

Three times.

It could only be used exactly three times.

The fourth was an unidentified mixed potion bottle.

It had no label and unclear ingredients.

But when shaken, the liquid’s color kept changing.

It had the effect of randomly enhancing one attribute among fire, water, wind, and lightning.

The user couldn’t choose which attribute would emerge.

It was a reward that had to be left entirely to luck.

The fifth was a Golem’s Heart Fragment.

A gray crystal the size of a palm.

When held, you could feel a pulse-like throbbing vibration.

This fragment consumed the user’s mana to create a ‘temporary barrier.’

The barrier didn’t maintain its form, appearing and disappearing only at the moment of receiving an attack.

Though not perfect defense, it was sufficient to nullify one critical hit.

I stopped my hands after taking out that much.

Five rewards lay on the floor.

All dangerous, all powerful, all items the management center would immediately confiscate upon sight.

“The rest aren’t to be taken lightly either.”

As if proving this dungeon was no joke, a weighty silence flowed.

I nodded and took them out one by one, placing them on the floor.

The sixth reward was the Bell of Path Intersection.

A small silver bell the size of a finger joint that made no sound when shaken.

Instead, very thin patterns repeatedly appeared and disappeared on the bell’s surface.

When entering a dungeon while possessing this bell, the ‘path with the highest survival probability’ among branching choices is conveyed through subtle sensation.

Though not visible like a map, it was a type of reward that made the body react first whenever hesitating.

It assisted the user’s judgment while leaving the responsibility of choice intact.

The seventh was the Gloves of False Applause.

A pair of thin leather gloves with no decorations on the surface.

But when clapping while wearing the gloves, ‘audience hallucinations’ spread around.

It was an effect closer to psychological pressure than actual sound.

Enemies became intimidated as if surrounded by dozens of people, with concentration dropping sharply.

However, these gloves also affected the wearer.

It was dangerous auxiliary equipment where one could accidentally get caught up in those hallucinations.

The eighth was the Hourglass of Balance Collapse.

Black sand was contained in a glass bottle, floating without distinguishing up from down.

When this hourglass is activated, the ‘concept of balance’ within a certain range collapses.

Gravity, speed, and sense of distance become mixed, disrupting enemy attack patterns.

But since it applied equally to allies, the user had to be able to calculate that chaos.

It was a high-risk reward befitting a jester.

The ninth was the Mask of Self-Conviction.

A white mask with no expression.

The moment it’s worn, the user becomes unable to ‘doubt their own abilities.’

Emotions like fear, hesitation, and regret are temporarily blocked.

Judgments made in that state don’t waver.

Instead, after removing the mask, suppressed emotions rush in all at once.

It was an item that could leave fatal aftereffects on those with weak mental fortitude.

The final tenth reward was the Bell of Intermission.

A small bell.

It made a clear sound when shaken.

When this bell is rung, a single ‘opening’ occurs during battle.

Enemy movements stop for a very brief time, and space becomes quiet.

That moment wasn’t long, but it was sufficient to make a decisive move.

However, this bell completely breaks after ringing once.

It was a reward that existed truly for the final moment.

All ten rewards were placed on the floor.

A brief silence flowed.

“Let’s split them half and half.”

Yuhan Seong said.

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“I wouldn’t mind if you took them all though.”

He looked at me.

“That wouldn’t be right.”

Yuhan Seong thought for a moment, then reached out first.

“I’ll take this.”

He picked up the Light Trajectory Feather.

Then he took the Golem’s Heart Fragment, the Bell of Path Intersection, and finally the Gloves of False Applause.

He gathered five items to his side.

“Well then.”

He said.

“Your turn.”

I looked at what remained.

The Snake’s Contract Scale.

The Mirror’s Separated Eye.

The unidentified mixed potion bottle.

The Hourglass of Balance Collapse.

The Mask of Self-Conviction.

I picked up each one to check the sensation.

The Clown Dungeon started like a joke, but what it left behind was no joke.

All ten rewards felt like they were telling us to prepare for the next stage.

As if it knew we wouldn’t stop here.

Someone’s laughter echoed from the boarding house hallway.

It was a completely ordinary sound.

Only then did I feel like I had returned to reality.

“Be careful when you use it too.”

I nodded.

The Jester’s Dungeon was over, but its remnants remained in our hands.

And I had a feeling.

These rewards would definitely be used someday.

But the weight I felt from my bag was clear.

It felt like a very blatant invitation to prepare for what’s ahead.

***

The vacation was over.

Instead of the quiet mornings I could see through the boarding house window, familiar noise had returned.

Footsteps echoing through the hallway, voices calling to each other, even the sound of bags dragging on the floor.

Standing in front of the classroom door, I caught my breath for a moment.

Strangely, I wasn’t nervous.

Just a little odd.

Everything that happened during vacation felt like a dream because this scene was so ordinary.

I opened the door.

“Hali.”

The first voice I heard was Yu Hee’s.

She was waving from her seat by the window.

Her expression was the same as before vacation, but her eyes seemed a little brighter.

“Long time no see.”

I said.

“Really long time.”

Yu Hee said with a smile.

“What did you do during vacation? Your face looks better.”

“What’s the standard for ‘better’?”

I answered with a laugh.

Hyun I-seo looked up from beside her.

He seemed to have been reading a book, but as soon as he saw my face, he fixed his gaze on me.

“…You’re here.”

He said briefly.

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“Did you do well?”

Instead of answering, Hyun I-seo nodded once.

But even with that brief response, I could feel that he was glad to see me.

“Hali, hello!”

A familiar voice came from behind.

It was Gong Seo-yun.

He was waving while half-sitting on his chair.

“You made it back to school safely.”

He said.

“Looks like you did well.”

His tone was a little different from before.

It was an ambiguous change, whether to say it had become softer or lost its strength.

When I smiled meaningfully, Gong Seo-yun cleared his throat.

Then the classroom door opened again.

Yuhan Seong entered.

With his bag slung over his shoulder, he scanned the surroundings once and fixed his gaze on us.

Our eyes met.

It was brief.

A very short moment.

But it was enough time for everything that happened during vacation to flash by.

Yuhan Seong nodded first.

“Everyone’s here.”

“Yeah.”

Yu Hee said.

“You went into another dungeon after that, right?”

“No.”

Yuhan Seong answered immediately.

“I stayed quiet this time.”

Hearing that, I said nothing.

I just put down my bag.

“Hali.”

Hyun I-seo called again.

“Yeah.”

“Seat.”

He pointed to the seat next to him.

“Are you going to sit there?”

“Of course?”

I answered naturally.

The feeling of being back hit me all at once.

Just like coming home.

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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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