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Chapter 2




SMH 2
Swordmaster Healer – Episode 2
TL: Boko
Editor: Ren
Chapter 1 – I Was a Swordmaster in my Past Life (1)
Sung Joon woke from his dream, took a shower, and left his house. His destination, the Seoul Dungeon Bureau.
“Welcome, Hunter. I’m the clerk, Lee Youn Joo. How may I help you?”
“I’d like to check if I was matched up with anyone.”
Through the Dungeon Bureau’s “matching” system, Hunters with a similar level of skill would be matched up.
Youn Joo’s face flickered with irritation. “I’m sorry, Hunter. When the matching is ready, we’ll contact you separately.”
“I thought… the matching might be finished.”
“That wouldn’t happen. If you weren’t already contacted by us, the matching shouldn’t be done.”
“Could you please just check one more time? I’ve already waited a month.”
Youn Joo rudely sighed. Sung Joon was used to this and smiled bitterly.
He knew it was useless. Unfortunately, he had little choice.
“I understand. Could you please tell me your name and your rank?”
“Kang Sung Joon. C-rank, Healer.”
“Ah, so you’re Kang Sung Joon? That legendary Healer?”
“Ha ha, yes… that’s right.” Sung Joo awkwardly laughed. When he had first awakened as a C-rank Healer, he had become known as The Legend.
“That Hunter’s the Legend.”
“Why’s he called that?”
“It’s because his healing power is really low. Most healers are at least B-rank, but he’s a C-rank Healer.”
“Ha, really?”
Sung Joon heard the whispers and hid his irritation. Although most Healers kept a high-self esteem, Sung Joon was a special case. He had an outrageously low healing power.
He was still able to obtain a C-rank designation with his meager abilities, though his fighting ability was far outstripped by even a D-rank Hunter.
“One day, I’ll definitely succeed.”
If he could achieve his goal, he wouldn’t need to worry about the other’s opinions.
“I’ll go and check now. Please wait one moment,” she said irritably.
Sung Joon watched Youn Joo eagerly, though he soon realized the fruitlessness of his request.
Youn Joo checked her tablet, sighed and shook her head. “We didn’t find any matches. You’ll have to wait a bit more.”
Her face looked as though it was saying, ‘Stop bothering me and get out’.
“I’ll be back…”
Sung Joon suppressed his frustration and returned home.  He held his smartphone and checked his bank balance.
He had burned through the $500 that he received from his F-rank dungeon run a month ago. He utilized most of it on his own living expenses and his father’s hospital bill, but now… he only had $45 to his name.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
Sung Joon’s rating reflected his poor dungeon clear rate. It wasn’t easy to find a match for someone with such a low rating.
“I’m in trouble.”
Sung Joon feebly dropped his phone but then his phone rang. He picked up his phone and checked the caller.
He joyfully picked up the phone.
“H-Hello?”
“Hello, Hunter. This is the Dungeon Bureau. We have matched you with a D-rank dungeon. There are five members including you. Would you like to proceed?
‘Yes’, is what he wanted to say, but a D-rank dungeon . . . He’d been stuck at the D-rank level. Although a normal C-rank and his party could easily clear a D-rank dungeon, he wasn’t like them. He was weaker than a D-rank Hunter, so it was quite the decision.
Fear bubbled up inside him until he thought about his bank balance.
“I’ll go.”
He came an hour early to the rendezvous point. He was humiliatingly renowned as the Legend, due to his pathetic healing power and his overall uselessness. However, he could still make a decent living since he had learned early on how the weak could survive.
“So it’s you, Sung Joon? You’re early.”
A hunter armed with a greatsword arrived. He was familiar to Sung Joon.
“Ah, Mr. Kim Sang Min!”
Kim Sang Min was a D-rank Combat Hunter, someone Sung Joon had cleared a few dungeons with. Therefore, Sung Joon knew that his abilities were quite good.
‘We should be able to clear the dungeon quite easily.’
Sung Joon smiled. However, Sung Joon hid his sour disposition when he saw the next Hunter.
“What’s this? The Legend’s here?” he spoke sarcastically.
The conceited new arrival was called Jo Deok Soo, similarly a D-rank Combat Hunter. Sung Joon assumed the girl by his side was Deok Soo’s girlfriend as she cutely stuck to him like glue.
“Deok Soo, what’s the Legend?”
“Ah, you haven’t awakened for very long, have you Jin Ah? The Legend’s quite simply a useless shit, a leech that takes part of our earnings.”
“Ah, I see!”
Sang Min heard their exchange and furrowed his eyebrows.
“Those guys…”
However, he didn’t intervene. That was the extent of their relationship. Sung Joon suppressed his resentment while Deok Soo  walked up to him.
“Will you get lost if I give you $100 bucks?” Deok Soo asked.
Sung Joon bit his lip. He thought he had gotten used to the insults by now but they still stung.
“Deok Soo, that’s enough.”
“It was just a joke. Haha!”
Sang Min had silently observed and finally decided to intervene and Deok Soo relented. Lastly, a naive-looking E-rank Hunter joined them to round out their party. They received authorization from the Dungeon Bureau and entered the dungeon.
“Stay on your toes, it’s a D-rank dungeon!” Sang Min said.
Sang Min promptly drew his greatsword.
Most dungeons were underground. Therefore, the last member, Han Gi Seok, raised a magic lamp to brighten up the room. The party then proceeded with the dungeon run.
“They’re coming!” Gi Seok cried out. He backed up while the monsters’ red eyes gleamed in the darkness. And when they finally revealed themselves . . .
“Goblins!” Gi Seok yelled.
The battle began. Jin Ah buffed both Sang Min and Deok Soo, who lead and took care of the Goblins. Gi Seok guarded Jin Ah while Sung Joon brought up the rear.
“Hoo! Is that all of them?”
Sang Min swept his sword to clear off the blood.
“It looks like the Boss Room,” Gi Seok said. In front of them lay a colossal stone gate that they had finally arrived at after a few battles.
“It’s probably because we killed only Goblins, but the magic stone quality sucks. I hope the Boss drops a good item,” Deok Soo complained and walked over to Sung Joon.
He extended his right arm. It looked like it had been pierced by a Goblin’s dagger.
“Heal me,” Deok Soo ordered.
“Okay, one second.”
Sung Joon bit back his bitterness and started healing him. A white light enveloped the wound and the wound slowly started to close.
“What’s this, the healing is way too slow. It’s a lot different from the Healers I’ve seen.”
“Jin Ah, he’s the Legend. He has the lowest healing power.”
“Ah, you’re right! I forgot!”
Matching would randomly assign party members based on rating. If a Hunter wanted to pick their party members, they’d have to apply as a duo and designate a particular party they would like to join.
Deok Soo and Jin Ah laughed heartily. Sung Joon partly healed Deok Soo’s wound and the party headed to the gate.
There was a single tombstone.
“‘Shrine for the Past Life’? ‘Draw the sword if you are prepared to awaken your past life.’”
Sung Joon read the tombstone’s inscriptions with his knowledge of the language of a different world. Sang Min walked to Sung Joon.
“You know how to speak the language of a different world?” Sang Min asked curiously.
“A little.”
“Not bad.”
Sung Joon laughed bashfully.
“Let’s go!” Deok Soo pressed.
He lightly pressed the mechanism and the stone gates opened. Sang Min and Gi Seok lead and Gi Seok brightened the room with his magic lamp.
Once Sung Joon stepped into the stone chamber, the stones closed.
“Deok Soo?”
“Everything’s fine. If we take down the Boss, the doors will open again,” Deok said, reassuring Jin Ah.
Sang Min and Gi Seok examined their surroundings. In the center of the room lie a sword stuck in an altar with armors and inactive magic lamps lining the sides of the walls.
“Um . . . those aren’t Living Armors, right?”
“You already know that Living Armors only appear in B-rank dungeons or over.” Sang Min responded. Despite his reassurance, Sung Joon felt uneasy.
“Ain’t this a hidden dungon? Haha!” Deok Soo said.
Hidden Dungeons appeared in the Boss Room and even the Dungeon Bureau had little information on them.
In exchange for special reward, the difficulty would increase several fold. Normally, matching would match a Hunter’s rating with the difficulty of the dungeon. Therefore, a Hidden Dungeon would be too much for most Hunters.
“This won’t come out. Do you all want to try?” Gi Seok asked. He piqued everyone’s interest. Their eyes gleamed with curiosity and the party went to the altar.
“There aren’t any traps. You can touch it,” he confirmed.
One by one, they attempted to draw the sword. Sung Joon was the last, but as he approached the altar, a voice rang out.
The chamber shook and the magic lamps lit up.
“SSS-rank past life detected. Classification, Sword Saint. Beginning test for awakening.”
The voice spread and the armors lining the walls started to move.
“No way! There’re Living Armors in a D-rank dungeon?” Gi Seok shouted.
“T-this is a dream! This has gotta be a dream!” Deok Soo panicked. In the midst of the chaos, only the urge to live remained.
A Living Armor only appeared in B-rank or over dungeons. They were a powerful monster that would easily rip apart a C-rank Hunter.
“Everyone group up! If you’re separated, you’ll die!”
“We won’t listen to…” Gi Seok responded, but he was tackled and couldn’t finish his sentence. The Living Armor’s iron mace shattered his head.
Although the Living Armors were slow, they made up for it with their incredible strength.
“Sung Joon is right! Everyone group up!” Sang Min said.
“No! I wanna live!”
“Deok Soo!”
Deok abandoned Jin Ah and ran. ‘I have to live!’ ‘I have to survive no matter what!’ That was all that was on his mind. However, there was nowhere to run. He was pierced by the Living Armor’s spear.
“Ugh!”
He vomited blood and three to four Livings Armors approached and ruthlessly stabbed him witht heir swords and spears.
“AH!”
“D-Deok Soo!”
Deok Soo shrieked and died.
“For now, let’s group up,” Sang Min suggested. He felt anxious as the Living Armors drew closer.
Despite the pressing situation, Sung Joon managed to clear his head. He recalled the tombstone’s inscription.
‘Draw the sword if you are prepared to awaken your past life.’
“It said to draw the sword.”
Sung Joon unknowingly spoke to himself. Everyone else had tried except for Sung Joon. He hadn’t tried to pull out the sword yet.
‘I’ll pull out the sword!’
Due to the sudden chaos, however, the distance to the altar was quite far, whereas the Living Armors kept getting closer.
“Ha!”
Sang Min’s greatsword struck the Living Armor’s helmet. Though it wasn’t difficult due to the Living Armor’s speed.
However, Sang Min’s greatsword didn’t even leave a scratch.
“Shit!” Sang Min cursed. Sung Joon pulled out the shortsword he kept for self-defense.
“Ms. Jin Ah! Please buff me!”
“Don’t tell me what to do! Everyone get lost! Fucking get lost!”
Sung Joon’s eyes went frigid. It seemed like Jin Ah broke. All this time, she had lived in the comfort of Deok Soo’s protection. Thus, she couldn’t cope with the current situation.
“Everyone get lost!” Jin Ah shrieked.
Her shriek rang throughout the chamber. He couldn’t expect any help from her. Sung Joon ran towards the altar alone.
While Living Armors may be slower than most monsters, they were still faster than Sung Joon. Sung Joon received one of their attacks and blood drenched his entire body.
“Ugh!”
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Not much later, Sang Min collapsed. Sung Joon had been pierced to shreds but finally reached the altar.
Meanwhile, Jin Ah became surrounded.
“Please!”
Sung Joon’s bloodstained hand stretched out and grabbed the sword. Even when the others tried, the sword didn’t so much as quiver, but when he reached out, the sword effortlessly came out.