Chapter 42

SMH 42

Swordmaster Healer – Episode 42

TL: Boko

Editor: Ren

Chapter 14 – Mysterious Visitor (3)

“Our ratings haven’t dropped at all?” Sung Joon asked again.

The standby worker at the entrance of the dungeon should have reported that they had given up halfway through the dungeon.

The Dungeon Bureau gave strict penalties to Hunters who gave up a dungeon run halfway. He had thought that their ratings would drop and that they’d have to relinquish their magic stones. Though they had been forced to relinquish their magic stones, there hadn’t been any change in their ratings.

“Yes, I didn’t see any drops in your ratings today,” the clerk said.

“I see. Thank you,” Sung Joon said.

Sung Joon left the counter and sorted his thoughts.

Since the Dungeon Bureau had confiscated their magic stones, they had already gotten word that Sung Joon’s party had given up the dungeon run halfway through.

Then why did their ratings not drop at all?

He formulated several hypotheses but couldn’t find an answer.

‘Let’s leave the matter for another time.’

Sung Joon shook his head once, ridding himself of all distractions. He didn’t think of Seol Ah’s parting words until he got home.

“I really shouldn’t worry about it.”

Sung Joon arrived home and unable to bear the awkwardness, he raised his phone and called his only real ‘personal connection’ to the Bureau, Hyun Sung.

“Kim Hyun Sung speaking.”

It wasn’t business hours but Hyun Sung picked up regardless.

“It’s not your regular business hours, so I’m sorry for calling,” began Sung Joon.

“It’s alright. If it’s you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon, I’d even be ok with you calling me early in the morning.”

The Hunter Bureau had already ordered Hyun Sung to keep in touch with Sung Joon as much as possible.

“But what’s the matter today?” Hung Sung continued.

Sung Joon said, “I have something I’d like to ask you.”

“If it’s something I know, I’ll answer immediately,” Hyun Sung replied. His voice, overflowing with confidence, increased Sung Joon’s trust in him.

Sung Joon explained the day’s events to him.

“Something like that happened today?” Hyun Sung asked incredulously. It must’ve been a first for Hyun Sung as well.

“I’ll have to look into it a bit. If you’re free tomorrow, I’ll look into it and come visit you.”

Seeing someone face to face, even just once more, was the way to instill goodwill in someone. Hyun Sung could’ve just called, but he decided to speak to him in person.

“I planned to rest until tomorrow. I moved places, so do you want me to give you my new address?” Sung Joon asked.

“Since you already reported your move to the Hunter Bureau, I can just look up your address. Hahaha!” laughed Hyun Sung.

“I see. Then, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, rest well.”

After he finished his call, Rishubalt, who had moved aside, approached him.

“My lord, your synchronization rate is at 15%. You can enter the next Awakening Dungeon now,” Rishubalt reported.

“I was thinking of resting until tomorrow.”

“I understand,” Rishubalt replied, bowing his head slightly.

“When I got to 15%, did I get any new abilities?” Sung Joon asked.

When his synchronization rate increased, he was able to look through his awakened memories and see if there was any new information on any new abilities, but since he had a convenient explaining tool called Rishubalt, he could just ask Rishubalt, rather than straining his mind.

“Could you wait for just a moment?” Rishubalt asked, accessing Sung Joon’s memories.

He continued, “You’ve received the ability to apply aura to your throwing daggers.”

“I should try it out slowly,” Sung Joon mused. Since his new abode didn’t have a mountain nearby like his old home, he couldn’t immediately test his aura throwing daggers.

“I think I’ll just rest for the rest of the day.”

Although it was a bit early to sleep, Sung Joon threw himself onto his bed.

The next day… Sung Joon received a message from Hyun Sung at past noon.

[If it’s alright with you, I’ll come by now.]

Sung Joon replied that it was ok and also sent him the secret code for the first floor.

While he leisurely watched TV, he heard his doorbell and stood up.

He opened the door and Hyun Sung cautiously entered, carrying a box of various juices in one hand.

“Since I’m visiting for the first time… Please think of it as a housewarming gift and accept it,” he said.

“Thank you. Please sit,” Sung Joon offered.

The two men sat across each other from the small table.

Hyun Sung started first.

“It seems like someone pressured the Bureau.”

“Pressured the Bureau? Is that possible?” Sung Joon asked, then did a double take.

He already knew that the Bureau was incompetent. Hyun Sung laughed awkwardly.

“It’s important to know who pressured the Bureau, but more importantly, if the ratings weren’t tampered with, it should be impossible to ease the penalties awarded from giving up halfway through the dungeon run.

“Wouldn’t preventing a rating from dropping be considered tampering with the rating?” Sung Joon asked.

Hyun Sung shook his head.

“It’s complicated to explain, but it’s a little different. Tampering with the ratings would be like if a Hunter, who did absolutely nothing, raised his rating and then dropped his rating.”

“Can you tell me whose penalties were erased?”

“I’m afraid that’s not within my power.”

“I see.”

Sung Joon nodded his head and took a sip of water. He didn’t feel any regret, since he had asked Hyun Sung out of curiosity.

“Also, you told me that a civilian was stuck into your party… Is that true?”

“Yes. She had brought three B-rank Hunters as guards,” Sung Joon explained.

“Usually, the Bureau stops any civilians from joining a dungeon run. Did the worker on site not stop her?” asked Hyun Sung.

There would always be at least one Bureau worker on standby in front of the dungeon, and there were also security guards patrolling around the vicinity.

In the past, there had been times where civilians, who had wanted a new experience, would be permitted into the dungeon, but the casualties were too high so it became forbidden.

“They didn’t stop her,” Sung Joon said.

“If that’s the case, they must have contacted headquarters beforehand. Civilians aren’t supposed to be allowed into the dungeons, but if they have a unique purpose, and the main office specially authorized it, she would have been able to accompany the party,” Hyun Sung explained.

“A unique purpose, huh…”

“If it’s alright with you, could you please tell me the name of the civilian that accompanied you?”

“Her name is Yoon Seol Ah.”

“It all makes sense now. Now we know why your ratings were tampered with,” Hyun Sung said, finishing off his bottled water, and speaking with a flushed expression.

“Mr. Kang Sung Joon, do you know who Yoon Seol Ah is?” he continued.

“I obviously don’t know,” Sung Joon replied, shaking his head.

It was his first time seeing her and hearing her name.

“Ms. Yoon Seol Ah is the granddaughter of Yoon Tae Seok, the Blue Dragon Group’s Chairman.”

“The Blue Dragon group; so you’re talking about that huge company that’s involved in the magic stone business, right?” Sung Joon asked.

He had heard about the Blue Dragon Group before. They’d been mentioned occasionally on Hunter.com.

“That’s correct.”

“Then why would the Chairman of the Blue Dragon Group send his granddaughter into the dungeon…?” Sung Joon asked, since he didn’t know the details.

“This is high-level information but… lately, there have been signs that the Blue Dragon Group wants to expand.”

“Are you saying that they want to advance into the Hunter business?”

“There’s a very high chance of that. They’ll probably start a guild and advance full scale.”

It was common for a large company to manage a guild or back Hunters. On the other hand, it was also common for large guilds to manage companies and use them to expand their businesses.

“If the woman who accompanied you was indeed Yoon Seol Ah, then I’m absolutely sure of it,” Hyun Sung replied confidently.

Sung Joon brought the bottled water to his mouth and sorted his thoughts.

‘The Blue Dragon Group, huh…’

He thought that it might get a bit troublesome.

* * *

Seol Ah had returned to her mansion, changed her clothes, and collapsed weakly on her bed.

“Grandpa, you dummy…”

Tae Seok had said that nothing would happen since she had three B-rank Hunters guarding her, but not only did those three die, she had almost died as well.

She thought that she was lucky to be alive, though she couldn’t help but be angry at her grandfather, who had she had followed and trusted until now.

“I’m so tired… so tired…”

Seol Ah was still shaking; she thought back to just a while ago, when she had almost died. She had escaped the jaws of death, but she still couldn’t escape the swamp of shock. She had barely held on with her strong will, but she still felt uneasy.

She felt as if a Dark Assassin would appear from the darkness right then and stab her throat.

In the end, she hid inside her blanket. However, there was darkness in there, too.

She impulsively threw the blanket aside. Then, she went down to the first floor and drank some cold water. As the cold water went down her throat, she felt her mind clearing.

“Miss.”

A tall, suit-wearing woman appeared. Seol Ah was familiar with her. She worked at Tae Seok’s secretary office and her name was Choi Ara.

“Head Secretary?”

“I received the report on the dungeon’s events. Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m alright,” Seol Ah replied.

She struggled but she couldn’t show weakness in front of her company’s employees.

Although she was his granddaughter and she had almost died, her grandfather, Tae Seok, didn’t even bother to come himself, but sent his secretary to check up on her. So, she felt hurt.

“What are you wondering about?” Seol Ah asked.

“Based on what the only survivor of the ‘Ace’s’ regular assault team, Jung Myung Soo, said, I heard that the team was annihilated and the Healer, Kang Sung Joon took care of the entire situation. Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s right. I saw it from right beside him,” Seol Ah replied.

She furrowed her eyebrows. Perhaps she was reliving that nightmare.

“Are you sure he was a Healer? Did you see him use ‘Heal’?” Ara questioned.

Seol Ah nodded her head wordlessly. She had definitely seen Sung Joon use his ‘Heal’ to treat his fellow Hunters.

Ara’s expression turned grave.

“Head Secretary, we should probably cancel our plan of making a guild using the ‘Ace’ as the key members, right?”

The Blue Dragon group was planning on forming a guild and had been keeping an eye on the ‘Ace’ regular assault team.

Seol Ah had been responsible for the confirmation procedure, so she had been dispatched to the dungeon. If it wasn’t for Tae Seok, who liked for the ones in charge to be hands-on, they wouldn’t have only dispatched three advising B-rank Hunters.

“Yes. It seems that they don’t have the capacity to lead a guild.”

“Then when we choose a new candidate, will I have to go into the dungeon again myself?” Seol Ah asked weakly.

At first, she had honestly thought it wouldn’t be such a big deal. However, she had realized something after coming out of the dungeon.

The dungeons were a hell that civilians mustn’t go into.

“There will probably be less of a chance of that happening.”

“Really?”

“I’ll report this to the Chairman and then we’ll come to a decision,” Ara said.

Seol Ah smiled bitterly and nodded her head. She was responsible for the guild plan but honestly, Tae Seok was in command.

The reason she had been put in charge was because Tae Seok didn’t want to be harassed by the Board of Directors.

“I’ll go upstairs and rest,” Seol Ah said.

“Rest well.”

Seol Ah returned to her room.

A bulky man approached Ara.

“Chief Im Jung Seok? I have something I’d like to ask you,” Ara said.

Im Jung Seok was the chief of the Blue Dragon Group’s security office.

“I’m listening.”

“Can a B-rank Healer Hunter take on the high-ranked A-rank monsters, the Dark Assassins, alone?”

“It’s impossible even for B-rank Combat Hunters. Are you sure he’s a Healer?” Jung Seok asked.

Ara nodded her head and said, “Yes, she said that she had definitely seen him use his ‘Heal’.”

Jung Seok felt intensely anxious. His eyes shook in their sockets.

“Was he an A-rank Hunter who hid his skills? I heard that some Healer Hunters polish their combat skills for self-defense.”

“That’s definitely not the case. Even if he had trained his combat skills for self-defense, there’s a limit to what a Healer can do.”

Jung Seok roughly shook his head.

“Are you certain that a Healer Hunter took care of the situation alone?”

“Yes. The other Hunters were annihilated.”

“Good god…”

Jung Seok went pale and Ara also belatedly realized the seriousness of the situation.

“As you know, it’s impossible to awaken as two classes at the same time.  This means that a Combat Hunter cannot learn ‘Heal’ or ‘Magic’.”

“I know that already.”

“However, a Mage or a Healer can learn swordsmanship, since it’s not their special ability. However, precisely because it’s not their special ability, there’s a clear limit to it.”

Jung Seok stopped briefly. A heavy silence hung in the air. Ara couldn’t hold back and so spoke first.

“Are you saying he’s not even an A-rank Healer Hunter?”

“Yes. He wouldn’t have been able to take on several Dark Assassins with an A-rank Healer’s constitution.”

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“If that’s true, then perhaps…”

Ara paled and Jung Seok nodded his head.

“That’s correct. He might be the 16th S-rank Hunter.”

Korea currently possessed fifteen S-rank Hunters.