Chapter 15

SMH 15

Swordmaster Healer – Episode 15

TL: Boko

Editor: Ren

Chapter 5 – If you mess with me, I’ll kill you (1)

Sung Joon gained the nickname, ‘Unlimited Power’, as a result of him clearing dungeons for a week without rest. His bank balance had also inflated by $700,000.

He needed $500,000 to pay for his father’s treatment, the new treatment that originated from America.

Sung Joon had more than sufficiently met that goal.

‘I should rest.’

Sung Joon went home, weakly throwing himself onto the bed. He was exhausted due to his week-long dungeon runs.

He didn’t feel very physically exhausted due to his Mana Absorption skill, but he couldn’t ignore the accumulated mental stress.

Sung Joon closed his eyes and rested. He awoke around an hour later, and went to the Korean Central Hospital to ask questions regarding the new treatment.

“Mr. Kang Soo Hyuk’s guardian…”

He didn’t need a waiting number ticket since he already had an appointment. Sung Joon waited for around thirty minutes before a nurse called him.

“Please enter the second doctor’s office.”

Sung Joon opened the door of the second doctor’s office.

The doctor, Park Tae Ho, clad in all white, was seated in the wide, spacious room. He looked like he was in his mid-fifties. There was a careful expression on his face.

He pushed his overgrown white front bangs back as he checked medical treatment records. He looked like a regular doctor, but he was a specialist in hematologic malignancies.

“Welcome.”

“How is my father’s condition?” Sung Joon sat down and first asked about his father’s condition. Dr. Tae Ho’s attention returned to the monitor.

He checked the medical treatment records thoroughly and sighed. “His numbers haven’t risen since he first got here,” said the doctor.

“That’s a relief,” Sung Joon replied.

“He’s stable but his numbers remain dangerously high,” Dr. Tae Ho advised.

Sung Joon weakly bowed his head. He knew long ago that his father was in critical condition but he felt uneasy hearing about it again from a doctor.

“I told you this before, but it seems that he wasn’t properly treated at his previous hospital.” Dr. Tae Ho spoke with a solemn expression.

Sung Joon bit his lip slightly. Excluding just recently, he had pretty much never made the hospital payments properly, so the hospital had half-assed his father’s treatment.

“If he continues in this condition, you may have to prepare yourself for the worst. I told you the other day, but patient Kang Soo Hyuk has a rare case of hematologic malignancy, so there is a limit to the treatment that the country can offer.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk about the new medical treatment that was tested in America; the one we talked about last time,” replied Sung Joon.

“Are you talking about the RG1 treatment?” asked Dr. Tae Ho.

Sung Joon responded with a calm expression. “I believe the application period hasn’t ended yet.”

“Of course. It’s already gone through several tests in America and is considered a successful medical treatment. In Korea, borrowing a youngster’s words, it would be at the ‘beta-testing’ stage.”

Sung Joon nodded. He had tried to look into the treatment through various means but wasn’t capable of finding the specific details of the RG1 treatment.

“I’ll apply,” he said.

“I’ll tell you this in advance. The treatment is certainly effective, but they use expensive facilities and drugs. The treatment bill will be inordinately expensive. They also don’t take medical insurance,” Dr. Tae Ho warned.

Sung Joon said, “I heard it was at least $500,000.”

“That’s correct,” replied Dr. Tae Ho.

“I’m not worried about the money. Please make sure my father gets the treatment,” said Sung Joon.

Tae Ho smiled. “Our medical team always does our best.”

* * *

Sung Joon set aside the $500,000 for his father’s treatment in a separate account. He also visited the Dungeon Bureau to apply for matching and then he went home.

‘I should be able to rest until the matching is ready.’

Sung Joon thought he would have been able to rest for three days, but because he had raised his rating with his solo plays, he got a reply from the Dungeon Bureau within two days.

“Hello, Hunter. This is the Dungeon Bureau. We have matched you with a B-rank dungeon. There are four people including you. Would you like to proceed?”

“Yes, I will proceed.”

He thought he would have a little bit of time to relax but he shook his head and had to reconsider. He didn’t know how much more he would need for his father’s hospital bill.

Right now, he had $200,000 to spare but Sung Joon had learned something from living in the world. It was better to have a lot of money.

The worker provided Sung Joon with a guide and he immediately headed towards the location.

“This way.”

A Bureau worker guarded the entrance to the dungeon, wearing clothes inappropriate for modern times. He wore leather armor and was equipped with a sword. He waved his hand when he saw Sung Joon.

“Did the others not arrive yet?” Sung Joon asked.

“Hunter Lee Shin Jo arrived first. He went to the restroom. As for the others, I received word that they might be a little late,” he said amicably.

Eventually, a Hunter slowly approached, holding a cup of coffee in one hand. It seemed like he was Lee Shin Jo, the Hunter that the worker had mentioned.

Their eyes met. Lee Shin Jo smiled and said, “I’m Lee Shin Jo. B-rank Supporter.”

“My name is Kang Sung Joon. B-rank Healer.”

They both simply introduced themselves. They waited for ten minutes and the two remaining Hunters arrived at the same time.

They were talking to each other and moving leisurely from afar. Sung Joon furrowed his eyebrows.

‘You’re late and yet you’re taking your sweet time.’ is what he wanted to say, but he could tell that they had joined as a duo.

It could be troublesome if he argued with a duo, so Sung Joon simply shook his head and didn’t complain.

They briefly introduced themselves again when the final two grouped up with them. The two Hunters who had applied as a Duo were Combat Hunters and their names were Seo Kwang Ho and Yoo Jin Kyu.

“Let’s go,” Kwang Ho said.

When the last Hunters finished their verification and the party had grouped in front of the dungeon entrance…

“One second, please.”

The Dungeon Bureau worker urgently ran towards them.

“What’s the matter?” Kwang Ho asked with anxious eyes, looking as if he were on the run.

“I just got a notice from headquarters.”

“What are the contents of the notice?” Sung Joon asked this time.

The worker calmly gazed at the tablet’s screen and said, “Pk-ing, or murder, has been occurring frequently in over C-rank dungeons. This is applicable to your dungeon difficulty, so please exercise caution, Hunters.”

The Dungeon Bureau couldn’t do anything inside of the dungeon, as it was a lawless area. Even if someone was murdered, so long as all the witnesses were killed, there wouldn’t be any evidence left.

If murdering, or the technical term, PK-ing, occurred inside the dungeon, the Dungeon Bureau and the Hunter bureau dispatched an investigator, but finding conclusive evidence was rare.

‘If there isn’t any conclusive evidence, the Bureau can’t easily intervene.’

That was one of the reasons why dungeon runs were dangerous. You not only had to be cautious of the monsters in front, but also of the potential murders lurking around.  It was the sad truth.

“Hahaha, there’s no way there’s a murderer amongst us. Let’s hurry and go in!” Jin Kyu awkwardly laughed, leading in front.

The doors opened and the four Hunters entered. They started by brightening the room with their Light Drones. Then they began their dungeon assault in earnest.

For a B-rank dungeon, its difficulty was on the lower side. Sung Joon couldn’t find the opportunity to draw his sword and the party headed towards the Boss Room without a hitch.

“Your healing power seems quite high.” Shin Jo admired Sung Joon slightly when he saw him Heal Jin Kyu so quickly.

“Thank you.”

Compliments always made someone feel good. Sung Joon responded with a smile on his face and the party arrived at the Boss Room.

“Haste! Bless!”

They arrived at the entrance of the Boss Room, so the Supporter Hunter, Shin Jo, gave everyone two types of buffs.

Kwang Ho and Jin Kyu matched their breathing and faced the Troll High Priest. There were quite a few minions that appeared, but as expected, the two dealt with the monsters before Sung Joon could intervene.

“Those two’s skills seem to be quite considerable.”

Sung Joon nodded his head in agreement. Shin Jo continued, “This is my fifth year as a B-rank Hunter. However, it’s the first time I’ve seen Hunters with such efficient movements.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, but something’s bothering me. Their swordsmanship and their combat style… it’s like they’ve become accustomed to fighting against other humans.”

“It’s likely that they’ve fought humanoid monsters.”

“That’s probably it.”

“Of course.”

The Troll High Priest had collapsed, so the two finished their conversation.

“I’m going to loot the magic stones now!” said Jin Kyu.

Sung Joon and Shin Jo began to loot the magic stones.

They finished looting the magic stones and completed a final check.

Shin Jo raised his hand and cautiously said, “Party leader, I need to take a leak. I’ll go finish my business and come back.”

“Ah, I also really need to pee.” Jin Kyu also raised his hand.

Kwang Ho sighed and said, “Everyone, do your business and come back.”

Sung Joon felt a subtle killing intent coming from Kwang Ho’s voice. He could only sense it due to his past life’s experience, where he had survived on the battlefield for dozens of years.

‘Perhaps… no, they wouldn’t…’ Sung Joon turned away from the possibility. Eventually, Jin Kyu came back ‘alone’.

“Where is Mr. Shin Jo?”

“He saw a corpse, felt nauseous and vomited. I’m sure he’ll come back soon.”

“Ah… is that so?” He sensed falsehood in his voice. A Hunter who had been B-rank for five years saw a monster’s corpse and vomited? There was absolutely no way.

Also, the deciding factor…

“The buffs are gone. Can you explain that?”

The battle had ended but Shin Jo hadn’t released the buff, so the buff that had been maintained disappeared.

“Everyone knows this but if the buff wasn’t randomly removed, the buff disappearing means the Supporter Hunter was…”

Kwang Ho and Jin Kyu’s eyes were filled with killing intent. They had a feeling that their plan had gone awry and grasped their weapons.

“…killed!”

“Kill him!”

“You fool!”

They aimed their sword and spear at Sung Joon, as if they had planned it. The trajectory of their weapons was clear to Sung Joon’s eyes.

“H-he evaded it?”

“A Healer Hunter evaded this?”

Sung Joon moved a single step back and evaded both of their attacks. Kwang Ho and Jin Kyu were shocked.

“Sloppy.”

Sung Joon stepped forward, closing the distance, and drew his sword from his waist.

“Throw away any thoughts of you…”

His sword gleamed in the darkness.

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“…coming out alive.”