My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon Chapter 77 - Our Team’s Healer Is Crazy

As she left the simulator room, Mi-ri-nae muttered to herself. The truth was, her role was that of a healer. And an S-rank one, at that.

All she had to do was keep her teammates alive during raids and give them the right orders. That alone was enough to fulfill her role.

But Mi-ri-nae felt that it wasn’t enough. What had sparked this feeling was meeting Belquior and the Daejeon Maze Dungeon.

The latter, in particular, had made her painfully aware of her lack of ability. She had faced difficult stages she’d never encountered before, along with the Gold Star Team’s schemes.

No matter how true it was that there was always someone better than the best, having her opponent see through her plans was a blow to her pride.

She was responsible for her friends and guild members. Even after realizing her shortcomings, she couldn’t afford to stay where she was.

‘There’s no guarantee the same thing won’t happen again, so I need to prepare.’

She never wanted to feel that helpless again. What should she do when she faced an opponent she simply couldn’t defeat, or when she found herself in a situation that was difficult to overcome? She wanted to find the answer.

“Ah, that feels refreshing.”

Mi-ri-nae went to the shower room, washed up, and came out. It was too late to return home, so she headed to the sleeping quarters provided by the guild.

Before going to sleep, she searched for articles on her phone. She was mainly looking for information that could help the guild when an article caught her eye.

[Asia Hunter] Esper Flutist Mo Da-on Arrives in Korea to Hold “Midsummer Night’s Concert”

“Mo Da-on……? Mo Da-on is coming to Korea?”

Mi-ri-nae sat up. She quickly scrolled down the page.

“It’s true. Is this her first time coming back to Korea in almost two years?”

Mo Da-on was the only Hunter in the world who hunted monsters using a musical instrument. She had been a flutist before awakening, and she never stopped playing even after she awakened.

Instead, she joined raid teams as a buffer. Through performances infused with her powers, she increased her allies’ recovery, amplified their abilities, and lowered the enemy’s morale.

In some ways, her role was similar to a healer’s. However, her unique ability, “Phantom Theater,” was powerful enough for her to clear an entire dungeon on her own, even without being a buffer.

Mi-ri-nae felt as if a light had suddenly shone before her eyes.

Mo Da-on wasn’t a healer, but she wielded abilities similar to a healer’s and had established herself as one of a kind.

She was a Hunter with powerful abilities and a natural talent for using skills.

If Mi-ri-nae could meet Mo Da-on, might she find a clue that would help her grow stronger?

Desperate to grab even the thinnest straw of hope, Mi-ri-nae searched through her contacts and called people one after another.

It was late, but few people could afford to ignore a call from the Vice Guild Master of Korea’s number-one guild.

“Hello. This is Choi Mi-ri-nae. Would you be able to arrange a meeting between me and Mo Da-on?”

 

 

****

 

 

 

In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep and hardly anyone was out and about, Cheon Chang-hyeon was driving somewhere.

His car sped down a highway lined with streetlights, and his face was so expressionless that it was almost chilling.

Just then, his phone screen flashed. When Cheon Chang-hyeon tapped it, a voice came through his Bluetooth earpiece.

—Hunter Cheon Chang-hyeon, the target just entered their home.

“Yes. Thank you for your work. Keep watching them.”

The person on the other end was an illegal Hunter working for Cheon Chang-hyeon. To avoid the Gold Star Guild’s eyes, he was building his own network of followers.

Illegal Hunters mainly handled jobs such as surveillance, wiretapping, intimidation, and assassination.

After leaving the highway, Cheon Chang-hyeon drove into the crowded city. An hour later, he arrived at his destination.

“You’re here.”

“What about the target?”

“They’ve gone to bed.”

Cheon Chang-hyeon looked up at the old apartment building. It was an ordinary place with barely any security at all.

“You can go now. I’ve paid you generously.”

Cheon Chang-hyeon handed the man an envelope. The man took it and silently disappeared into the darkness.

After checking that there were no CCTV cameras nearby, Cheon Chang-hyeon lightly pushed off the wall and leaped upward. Room 603 on the sixth floor.

Since it was summer, the window was open. Even if it had been locked, he would have picked the lock and gone inside anyway.

Cheon Chang-hyeon entered the apartment without making a sound. He found his target fast asleep in a room.

A young man in his early twenties. He was a fresh new Hunter who had awakened earlier that day.

Cheon Chang-hyeon stared down at the man, who was sleeping soundly without a care in the world, then grabbed him by the throat.

“Gah! Wh-who……?”

“……”

Cheon Chang-hyeon didn’t answer. The target woke up and struggled.

“Ghk, gah……”

Even as the man gasped for breath, Cheon Chang-hyeon didn’t stop. Instead, he tightened his grip.

“H-hah……”

The man struggled desperately to escape, but his eyes rolled back. The tension drained from his curled-up arms and legs, and at last, his body went limp.

Cheon Chang-hyeon checked for a pulse. Once he was sure the target was dead, he spoke.

A deep, dark crimson power flowed from his hand.

“B-rank Hunter Kwak Hyeon-seong. I’ll gladly take your skill, ‘Chain Blaster.’”

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

“Hey, these snacks are good. Are they new?”

“Give me some more juice.”

“Hey, hey! I called dibs on that!”

The S-rank Hunters of the Docheon Guild had gathered together for the first time in a while. They spread out bags of snacks, cola, and lemon-lime soda, chatting noisily.

“Is this your playground? Go play somewhere else.”

It was only natural that Uri, whose office had been taken over yet again, looked grumpy. But as time passed, even he naturally joined in the fun.

Just then, the anchor’s voice came from the television, which was playing at a low volume.

[Today, Geumseong Group confirmed overseas exports of its manufactured potions, while……]

Sol furrowed his brows.

“I’m sick of hearing about manufactured potions. Don’t we have anything we can announce to make a splash, too? Should we call in the research team?”

“Sol, stop bothering the research team already. The researchers look more exhausted every day because of you.”

Uri grabbed Sol, who was already lifting his butt off the seat as if he were about to rush out.

Sol looked confused.

“Huh? Why is that my fault? Maybe they’re suffering from the summer heat. Buy them some samgyetang or something.”

“They’re not suffering from the heat. You keep showing up at their door and putting pressure on them.”

“I wasn’t putting pressure on them! I was encouraging them!”

“Yeah, I bet they feel super motivated when an executive comes to visit. We call that being a nagging old-timer.”

“But what else can we do? I can’t stand seeing Gold Star doing so well.”

Sol chewed viciously on his paper cup. Beside him, Yu-ha said, “Are you a goat? Eat snacks instead of paper,” and stuffed a handful of octopus-shaped snacks into Sol’s mouth.

“Mmph, mmph! Ugh! Kim Yu-ha, do you want to die?”

“I’m trying to look after you, and this is how you repay me?”

Yu-ha and Sol bickered. Watching them, Uri wiped his hands with a wet tissue.

“Anyway, keep yourself under control. The potion research is a lost cause, so we’ve decided to focus on developing treatments for rare diseases using dungeon plants.”

“Tch. I wonder if some cases of side effects from manufactured potions will come to light.”

Sol seemed to declare that other people’s misfortune was his happiness. His friends stared at him in shock.

“Try having a nicer heart.”

“Look at Namgung Sol’s personality.”

“You all think the same way, too. Ah~ I hope everyone except us goes bankrupt!”

Sol brushed off his friends’ criticism and gulped down his juice.

[In other news, esper flutist Mo Da-on arrived in Korea at around 10 a.m. today. Mo Da-on, who has returned to Korea for the first time in nearly two years to hold the three-week-long “Midsummer Night’s Concert,” will……]

With the perfect topic coming up at just the right moment, Mi-ri-nae spoke first.

“Guys, I’m thinking of meeting Mo Da-on.”

“Huh? Why? Are you a fan?”

Eun-sae looked at her in surprise.

Mi-ri-nae was famous for having a wide network of connections, so meeting Mo Da-on wouldn’t be difficult, even if Mo Da-on was a celebrity with a packed schedule all year round.

However, it was rare for Mi-ri-nae to take the initiative to meet someone herself.

At Eun-sae’s question, Mi-ri-nae gave an uncertain smile, as if she didn’t know how to explain it.

“It’s not because I’m a fan. I was wondering if she could help me.”

“With what?”

“Um…… I want to see if there’s a way to develop my abilities further.”

“Are you trying to learn some buffer skills from Mo Da-on?”

“No. Something more fundamental than that…… I want to change the way I fight.”

Sol’s eyes widened like saucers. With crumbs around his mouth, he blurted out,

“Huh? Mi-ri-nae, are you planning to switch from healer to damage dealer?”

“No. Even as a healer, your contribution changes depending on which skills you use, right? I was wondering if there were more varied ways I could help in battle.”

“So, in short, you want to get stronger, right?”

Yu-ha hit the nail on the head. Mi-ri-nae sheepishly admitted it.

“That’s right.”

“Oh, my goodness. Our team’s healer is crazy. She’s already more than strong enough, but now she’s taking the initiative to improve her stats?”

“Wait, was that why you’ve been forming teams with the guild’s A-rank Hunters and training lately?”

“That’s not the only reason. It’s just one of the things I’ve been doing.”

It was true, but Mi-ri-nae did her best to hide the truth from her friends as they made a fuss.

After hearing her out and thinking for a moment, Eun-sae readily nodded.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I’ve also been thinking about how I can get stronger.”

Pfft!

“Eun-sae, why you?”

Uri spat out the cola he had been drinking in surprise.

“Ew, gross. Guild Master, why are you spilling your drink everywhere? Do you need a bib?”

“Namgung Sol, get lost. And hand over the tissues.”

Uri snatched the tissues Sol held out while snickering. He wiped his mouth and waited for Eun-sae’s answer.

Holding her paper cup, Eun-sae thought for a moment before answering calmly.

“Just because. I’ve been wondering if I’ve gotten too comfortable with how things are now.”

Yu-ha’s expression turned awkward. He desperately resisted the urge to shout, ‘She’s trying to get stronger because she’s fallen for that dragon!’