Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 28

Just a moment ago.

Right after they took down the Ant Queen in the huge chamber.

As Jiwoo was struggling to support Kang-woo and Shin Woo-hyuk, a group of ants appeared in front of him.

“Human, thank you so much-gam! Thanks to you, we got our freedom back-gam!”

“We’ll never forget this kindness-gam! Have you heard-gam? We’re ants who always repay favors-gam-gam!”

“Today is an everybody dance party-gam! Hurry, play the music-gam!”

The Antmen cheered and surrounded Jiwoo.

While wiggling their antennae in a happy dance, one ant that looked like their leader approached Jiwoo.

“Human, this is our gift to you-gam.”

[Gam124 wants to give you a gift.]

Item
Antman Antenna Headband (C-Rank)

A pair of antennae passed down through the Antman tribe that hold mysterious power.

Equip Effect: Antman’s Super Strength (C-Rank)

“Uh? Thanks…”

Jiwoo took the headband without thinking. Then, unable to refuse Gam124’s hopeful eyes, he put it on himself.

A new notification window popped up.

[For user convenience, equipment transparency will be applied.]

Right then, the black headband Jiwoo was wearing disappeared without a trace.

“Huh? Where did it go?”

Jiwoo touched the top of his head in confusion, but he couldn’t feel anything.

But he didn’t have time to stay confused.

Gam124’s pointy jaw trembled as it collapsed onto the floor.

“That’s too much-gam! Sob sob-gam-gam, how could you lose the gift the moment you got it-gam!”

“W-wait! I didn’t do it on purpose! Just stop crying for a sec, stop!”

Jiwoo was so busy comforting Gam-gam, who was wailing like a little kid, that he completely forgot about the missing headband.

After hearing Jiwoo’s rough explanation, the kids clapped their hands.

“Wow, sis! So if you try to use strength like before, the antennae pop out?”

“Mm, probably…?”

“Nyan-yak, Jiuu! Try it again.”

“Should I?”

Well, there was nothing to lose.

Jiwoo decided to test the power of this mysterious headband.

“Antman Strength, activate!”

What followed was unbelievable.

Black veins bulged on both of Jiwoo’s arms as he grabbed the boulder.

At the same time, the huge rock that wouldn’t budge no matter how hard she pushed…

Crack—crunch.

Was ripped clean out of the ground.

“…Huh? Wha—?”

There was no way something like that could be this light.

It felt as light as holding an empty Styrofoam box.

Right on cue, the description of [Antman Strength (C)] came to mind.

‘Antmen are very strong monsters. Thanks to their tough exoskeleton, they can lift about 200 times their own body weight.’

“2—200 times?!”

Wait a minute.

How many kilograms was my last recorded weight?

Jiwoo tried to remember as she gently set the stone down on the ice.

Or at least, she thought she set it down gently.

KWA-KWAAANG!

A heavy crash echoed out as the thick sheet of ice shattered into pieces.

A moment later, fish floated up to the surface, stunned.

It was a sight too unbelievable even with her own eyes.

Jiwoo’s Strength stat was only 4.

That was just slightly stronger than an average adult man.

‘But now I can lift up to 10 tons like nothing!’

She could flip a passing van with one hand.

She now had the strength of a decent tanker.

Jiwoo walked toward another boulder to test it.

She poked it with a single finger—just a tap—and unbelievably…

Rumble, splash!

The huge rock rolled away and fell straight into the water.

At the same time, a new notification appeared over her head.

System
Antman Strength (C-Rank) can be used once a day for 3 minutes.
Remaining time: 2 minutes 10 seconds

‘So it stays active. Which means I can keep using this strength for the next 3 minutes?’

It didn’t even consume mana. As long as she wore the headband, she was basically invincible!

Who would’ve thought the antenna headband she assumed was just a souvenir would have an effect like this.

And Antman Strength had unexpected side effects.

“S-sis… I’ll be good from now on.”

“Jiuu, if I did anything to upset you, please forget all of it.”

Seeing Jiwoo throw around boulders like the Hulk terrified the kids.

Their wild energy from earlier had completely vanished.

They were even clinging to each other and shaking.

Jiwoo scratched the back of her neck.

‘Hmm, there’s no need for them to get this scared.’

She only wanted to warn them so they wouldn’t try anything dangerous.

Still, showing off her strength did give her some authority as the one in charge.

Jiwoo clapped her hands to get things moving.

“Come on, now’s not the time for this. The fish will spoil—let’s gather them!”

“Yes!”

“Nya-nak!”

Maybe impressed by the super-strength show earlier, the kids moved quickly.

“With this much, today’s fish party is a huge success!”

“Sis, we could probably eat fish for the next three or four days!”

Soon, carp as thick as a person’s arm, crucian carp, dace, and all kinds of freshwater fish piled up in heaps.

Jiwoo lit a fire beside the valley and shaved down sticks to make fish skewers.

You’ve heard of it—crispy outside, soft inside.

Using her experience from working part-time at a grilled fish restaurant, Jiwoo carefully controlled the heat.

The fish cooked beautifully, full of care.

Crispy skin glistening with fat. Soft, tender flesh. And that smoky, savory aroma!

“Jiuu, when will it be done?”

Drool dripped from Dongsik’s beak, and Heeseong’s eyes sparkled.

Jiwoo wasn’t much different.

‘If I had the ingredients, I’d be making spicy fish stew right now.’

A spoon of spicy stew with a bite of warm rice. And noodles in the leftover soup at the end.

Truly the kind of moment that makes you crave a shot of soju.

“Nya-nya-nyak, Omega-3 boost!”

“Hey, you idiot! That’s not fully cooked yet!”

Heeseong yelled, but it was no use.

Dongsik shoved his beak straight into the steaming fish and gulped it down like it wasn’t hot at all.

Jiwoo lifted one of the skewers.

The glossy, juicy flesh looked incredibly appetizing.

She was just about to take a big bite.

‘Ah, right! What about those two? They should’ve woken up by now.’

She suddenly remembered Kang-woo and Shin Woo-hyuk, whom she had tossed into the hut.

They probably hadn’t eaten anything either.

Her conscience pricked at her for trying to eat something delicious alone.

‘No matter what, everyone should eat together.’

Korean tradition valued serving guests a full, generous meal.

Even sharing a bean skin was basic courtesy in this world.

And Jiwoo understood better than anyone how miserable hunger could be.

“About twenty should be enough?”

Jiwoo set aside the cooked fish and stood up.

Then she wrapped the skewers in clean leaves.

Layer upon layer of leaves stacked up, holding the grilled fish.

“Sis, why are you stopping? They’re gonna get cold.”

“Mm, I’m just going to the hut for a minute.”

“Are you going to see Kang-woo? I wanna go too! Me too!”

“Absolutely not. Stay here with Dongsik and eat quietly.”

Hugging the armful of fish, Jiwoo ran toward the hut.

She felt uneasy leaving the two naïve kids alone with Dongsik.

‘Who knows what trouble they might cause. I need to go and come right back.’

But as soon as the hut came into view—

Jiwoo realized she was half right… and half wrong.

The two childish idiots she should’ve been worrying about were not Dongsik and Heeseong.

It was—

“Oh my gosh, Guild Leader! What are you doing!”

Jiwoo shouted.

Right beside the half-destroyed hut…

Shin Woo-hyuk was pointing a sword at Kang-woo’s neck, staggering on an unhealed body.