S-Rank Healer Gets Kidnapped First Chapter 40

After Na Ye-ri defeated the boss, we cleaned up the site and returned to headquarters.

“It was its last struggle. I shouldn’t have taken the final hit for our Yeon-hee….”

“It’s okay.”

“Still! We were literally just a little time away from completing the raid. Then we could’ve put Yeon-hee’s name on the S-rank Rift that appeared for the first time in ages…. I’m really sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I’m satisfied that I got to fight a monster one-on-one.”

I comforted Na Ye-ri, who clung to me and kept apologizing.

The reason she felt so guilty was because this S-rank Rift had been completed under her name.

It was what hunters called kill-stealing.

Among hunters, it was considered the number one example of unsportsmanlike behavior.

The more raid achievements someone accumulated under their name, the higher their value became.

Because of that, there were many people who tried to exploit the system by stealing the final hit.

That was why a blacklist for unsportsmanlike hunters had been created.

If a hunter was reported with sufficient evidence and added to the list, it was practically the same as losing their career.

Of course, even with such measures, there were still hunters who lost their achievements because someone stole the final hit from them, and reports of unsportsmanlike behavior continued to come in.

“My own teammate secretly stole the final hit. I’m really disappointed.”

“…I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Perhaps because she felt so guilty, Na Ye-ri looked dejected even when Han Seong-woo teased her.

“I’ll definitely find an S-rank Gate for Yeon-hee next time….”

“I told you, I’m really not upset.”

“How am I supposed to believe that! Even if you like me, honestly, this crossed the line! You don’t have to let me off easy!”

“Yeon-hee never said she liked you. What kind of delusion is this?”

“Ah, get lost! You annoying bastard!”

I patted Na Ye-ri, who still had no intention of letting go.

I’m not just saying it to make her feel better.

No matter how many times I told her I was fine, she wouldn’t believe me. She probably thought I was only letting it slide because we were teammates.

It’s not like time was the issue. An awakened monster can go anywhere if you leave it alone. If anything, I’m grateful that she finished it off early.

Even if I told Na Ye-ri that, she probably wouldn’t believe me.

I was the only one who had actually witnessed the monster’s awakening, while Na Ye-ri had been so fired up that she had taken it down with a single blow that easily exceeded the minimum required damage.

I eventually gave up trying to convince her.

She was determined to bring me an S-rank Gate anyway, and I wasn’t foolish enough to turn that down.

“Since Ye-ri is offering, I’ll gratefully accept.”

“Yeah! Oh, and about this reward too….”

“I’m good. I don’t need the reward.”

“Why?”

Na Ye-ri asked as if she couldn’t understand why I would refuse something this valuable.

Han Seong-woo answered for me.

“Yeon-hee doesn’t have a weapon.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, I’ve never seen her with one.”

Na Ye-ri touched the cube-shaped enhancement stone that looked like a giant jewel before asking,

“You could at least cash it in.”

“Why bother when we’re in the same guild? Just use it. Besides, the number of enhancement stones is exactly right.”

“Yeon-hee…!”

Na Ye-ri nodded repeatedly with a deeply moved expression.

“I’ll get stronger.”

“Okay.”

I smiled while looking at her, then turned my head.

My gaze fell on the dagger that had been wiped clean of blood.

To be honest, I was more interested in the weapon that had actually led me into real combat than I was in the enhancement stone.

Of course, this weapon could be enhanced too.

But no matter how many times I enhanced it, I wouldn’t be able to benefit from its effects.

My damage-dealing ability didn’t even have a rank measurement, after all.

There was no point dwelling on something that simply wouldn’t work. I slowly reached out and touched the handle.

The sensation of piercing flesh still feels so unfamiliar that just remembering it makes my stomach churn.

Maybe it felt more vivid because the blade was so short.

Until I get used to it, my hands are probably going to keep trembling. So unless it’s absolutely necessary, I should stick to throwing weapons.

People often complained that Gates appeared practically every day, but it wasn’t as though several Gates actually appeared every single day.

Besides, high-ranking hunters ignored low-ranking Gates.

That meant the number of Gates I could actually enter as an S-rank hunter and a healer was extremely limited.

Even if I train intermittently, it’ll be difficult to get used to cutting things directly. I think I should focus on throwing weapons during training. Improve my accuracy, and eventually try using a gun too.

After carefully making my plans, I rotated my wrist as if loosening it.

My wrist felt strained, probably because I had overworked a part of my body that I normally didn’t use much.

Ever since I started using weapons, I had frequently had to endure trembling hands and the strain of gripping them.

That had begun to put stress on my wrist.

This is where being a healer comes in handy.

I quickly treated it with Divine Grace.

Just as I was pleased to feel the pain disappear from my wrist, Han Seong-woo spoke.

“Since we’re talking about it, want to go enhance our equipment together?”

“That sounds good. Let’s see whose options turn out better.”

Na Ye-ri was naturally eager to join.

“What about Yeon-hee?”

“Hm? I want to come watch too.”

I didn’t have a weapon, but I knew there was something fun about watching enhancement options.

I readily agreed, then turned to Cha Seohae.

“What about you, Seohae? You’re coming too, right?”

“Hm? Ah, yeah.”

He had been lost in thought and answered matter-of-factly.

“Okay, then let’s hurry up and go enhance them! Ah, if this succeeds, that’ll make it +5.”

“Hmph. That’s only if it succeeds.”

“Don’t jinx it, Na Ye-ri.”

The two stood up from the sofa after hearing Cha Seohae’s answer.

I shook my head as I watched them excitedly head straight for the door.

Who’d believe they were hunters? Look at how obsessed they are with enhancement.

The two of them seemed too excited to notice, but even at a glance, Cha Seohae’s complexion looked terrible.

Come to think of it, he had seemed distracted the entire way back after the raid.

“What are you thinking about so seriously?”

“…Nothing.”

Cha Seohae was looking out the window, so all I could see was his profile.

Even so, the heavy look in his eyes and his tense lips were unmistakable.

As always, even when he had something on his mind, he never showed what he was thinking.

Since he isn’t asking me to leave, I guess he doesn’t want to be alone either.

I patiently asked him questions one by one.

“Is something wrong? Or are you tired? Oh, right, should I heal you? Come to think of it, maybe the healing was weaker because I used my skills on several people at the same time.”

“No, it’s not that. The healing was fine.”

“Really…?”

Then it didn’t seem to be because of me.

I couldn’t think of anything else, so I quickly ran out of things to say.

I could have gone after Na Ye-ri and Han Seong-woo, who had already left, but I didn’t even know where they had gone.

While waiting for him to speak, I leaned against the glass window.

“Ugh.”

I immediately pulled myself away.

I hadn’t thought anything of it before, but actually leaning my back against a window on the forty-fourth floor, with a clear view of the outside, took quite a bit of courage.

It felt completely different from facing an attack flying straight at me.

“…What are you doing?”

Cha Seohae must have been watching me, because he asked with a displeased expression.

I hadn’t expected him to be watching, so I gave an awkward smile out of embarrassment before speaking.

“But I want to watch the others enhance their weapons. Could you just tell me where the enhancement room is?”

“What?”

“I don’t want to bother you, but I’ve never had anything to enhance before, so I don’t know where the enhancement room is. And unlike a department store, this place doesn’t have signs telling you what’s on each floor.”

Cha Seohae smiled as if he found my words amusing.

Though only the corner of his mouth lifted.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

“If you answer one question for me.”

“What is it?”

Was he thinking so seriously because of me?

There was nothing I needed to hide, so I agreed without hesitation.

“Do you dislike guns?”

“Huh?”

“No, no.”

Cha Seohae covered his face with one hand as soon as he said it, as if he had just made some huge mistake.

His face was small and his hand large, but that didn’t mean he could cover everything.

I could clearly see that his exposed ear was unusually red.

What is he embarrassed about?

Was there something embarrassing about what he had just said?

Even after thinking it over carefully, I couldn’t come to any conclusion.

“I… don’t know why you think I wouldn’t like guns. I’m keeping the gun you gave me.”

“……”

“I just have trouble handling it properly.”

“Then call me….”

“Huh?”

I slowly thought over Cha Seohae’s answer.

But the more I thought about it, the more certain I became that Cha Seohae couldn’t possibly mean what I was thinking.

After debating whether I should ask further, I carefully opened my mouth.

“Did you think that because I trained with a gun first but used a dagger when I fought the boss?”

“……”

“Really?”

“No. I misspoke.”

When I asked if he really meant that, he turned his entire body away.

But that wasn’t a particularly good choice.

His broad shoulders and thick torso were certainly impressive, but what caught my attention more were his reddened ears and the back of his neck.

“Ah, it’s because of Han Seong-woo….”

Cha Seohae muttered irritably while rubbing his face.

Apparently, Han Seong-woo was the reason.

“Uh….”

Cha Seohae said it wasn’t, but his body was saying otherwise.

“Han Seong-woo told me to practice with a dagger first because it’s hard to shoot for long when I use buffs to control the recoil.”

“……”

“I’m training hard because I plan to use a gun too. So don’t worry that I don’t like guns.”

Is this the right way to reassure him…?

I was a little flustered, but I wasn’t nearly as embarrassed as Cha Seohae seemed to be, to the point where I couldn’t even look at him.

“Did Han Seong-woo brag about the dagger? It’s not like teasing people is something he started doing yesterday.”

“Hah.”

He let out a sigh-like laugh as he listened to me.

He looked somewhat empty, almost as though he felt drained.

“So… you mean you’ll use a gun later?”

“Yes. I’m in the back line anyway.”

Is that enough?

Rather than asking anything else, I waited for him to speak.

Cha Seohae seemed to have calmed down considerably, and his face had returned to its usual pale complexion.

Then he looked down at me with an annoyed expression.

…Annoyed?

“Then from your next training session onward, don’t call Han Seong-woo. Just call me.”

“…I never called him in the first place. He followed me because he wanted to train with me.”

“If it looks like he’s coming, tell him not to follow you.”

“…He’s not some kind of pervert.”

“So what? No, wait. Just lock the training room door. Only let me in.”

“…? Uh, okay.”

It wasn’t a particularly difficult request, so I readily nodded.

Cha Seohae looked at me and narrowed one eye again, apparently dissatisfied with something else.

What’s wrong with him this time?

He looked away, sighed, and muttered quietly.

“…I don’t know if this is really a good thing.”