The Poisonous Healer

“Brother brother brother brother brother brother brother brother brother!!!”

“…Why are you making such a fuss? You're being so childish.”

The older brother frowned as he watched his brother rushing over to him in a hurry.

He had warned him so many times to maintain his image now that he was the Vice Chairman of the second-ranked Hunter guild in South Korea, based in Busan.

Ga Yulchan, the head of the Bishop Guild, playfully jabbed his younger brother, Ga Hanchan.

"Every single one of these actions becomes headline material. Haven’t you seen how the Glory Guild guys act in front of cameras?"

“Th-This isn’t about the cameras right now.”

“……?”

The younger brother, Ga Hanchan, kept opening and closing his mouth nonstop.

“I heard from a reporter inside that they needed to use a Golden Core for someone in the first test.”

“What?”

All that talk about maintaining image became meaningless as Ga Yulchan also let out a shocked sound.

That's how precious the 'Golden Core' is.

"Golden Core? Are you sure?"

"I'm telling you, it is. And what's more, I heard the score reached a hundred thousand points?”

"Ow, sh*t...!!"

Ga Yulchan's bald head, once again, began burning hot.

Whenever he got extremely excited, all his body heat would rush to his head, which was why he’d lost every last strand of hair at such a young age.

Ga Yulchan of the fire element, Ga Hanchan of the ice element.

Despite their appearances, the brothers, who formed the one-two punch of the Bishop Guild, were both Esper-types.

“A legendary person has finally appeared after a long time...”

“And that aside, bro. A hundred thousand points means...!!”

“I know.”

Ga Yulchan slowly ran his index finger through his beard.

“That means it’s ‘unmeasurable’ in a whole different sense.”

High-quality cores are essential in the process of testing an Awakener’s stats.

Because the stats are reflected based on the sensitivity of the reaction between the core and the Aether. Since it was an extremely delicate and sensitive process, if the stats exceeded a certain threshold, the core can even get damaged during the reaction.

That concern was no exception, even for a Golden Core.

100,000 points.

The Association automatically shut down any Golden Core whose response exceeded one hundred thousand points.

They couldn’t risk damaging a Golden Core, something as precious as a treasure, just from an Awakener’s stats.

That means.....

“I don’t know what kind of guy he is, but no one knows his actual stats.”

There were a few Awakeners who had to use Golden Cores during the testing process.

Ga Yulchan, too, was unable to be measured with a regular core, so he had to undergo a retest and scored over 50,000 points.

You have to be at least that strong to lead the second-ranked guild.

However, Maria, the Holy Mother, couldn’t determine her ‘true score’ even after being tested with a Golden Core. All that could be confirmed was that she had surpassed the measurable limit.

And today.

Someone who took the test today went through the exact same ‘process’.

"The same healer-type, the same procedure... What's that guy's name?”

“They say his name is Chun Haesun. Bro, if he’s really on the same level as Maria, shouldn’t we catch him with every penny we have?”

"Hey, Maria's a genius who only comes once every century. How many people are there who have high Awakening stats but are actually useless in combat?"

"That's true, but….."

Despite saying that, hot steam was still rising from Ga Yulchan’s crown.

Though he had scolded his younger brother, he couldn’t deny that possibility. Healers were a rare breed, difficult to obtain even at A-rank, let alone S-rank. If that guy truly possessed S-rank potential, and they could head into battle with his healing at their backs…..

This was something worth taking a gamble on.

Ga Yulchan, seemingly determined, instructed his younger brother.

“Contact the finance team. Check how much recruitment budget we can use for the whole year.”

“The whole year? Not just this quarter?”

“That’s right. The whole year.”

Even if it meant emptying their entire annual budget instead of just three months, they had to secure that guy, Chun Haesun.

They’ve had all their promising rookies snatched away by the Glory Guild in recent years, so their funds were more than stacked.

This time, no matter what it takes, he would make sure they got him.

‘But first… he needs to receive a rank that matches those Awakener stats.’

Ga Yulchan hurried off toward the results announcement hall.

* * *

Gu Gyeon, the head of the Glory Guild, and Yoo Inwon, the Vice President of the Hunter Association, were in the same room. Throughout the preparation for the test, they had received all sorts of help, so it was practically a foregone conclusion that Yoo Inwon’s son, Yoo Jiwon, would sign with the Glory Guild.

“You must be proud to have such a wonderful son.”

“Hahaha. Chairman Gu, it’s all thanks to you, really.”

The conversation continued in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

For Chairman Gu, Yoo Jiwon was a means to maintain a close relationship with the Association. The Vice President also saw no better place than the Glory Guild to raise his son as a promising Hunter. It was a perfect situation for both sides to meet their needs.

Before Yoo Jiwon took the test, Gu Gyeon took the risk of sending him to the Glory Guild’s Research Institute. Because Yoo Jiwon’s Aether levels were weaker than expected, they injected the high-purity cores stored in the lab on him. Midway through, Maria caught on, making the situation awkward, but the price was fully paid off with an expansion of the Glory Hunter Guild’s jurisdiction.

In today's world, jurisdiction means power and money.

Ignoring the public's perception of excessive favoritism toward certain corporations, the Glory Guild employed various unlawful means to expand their influence.

But in this case, it went beyond unlawful and bordered on illegal.

"A score of 5,000 points is exceptional, it surpasses most B-rank hunters. With results like this, he might even qualify for an A-rank.”

"Haha. How wonderful that would be."

The already positive atmosphere brightened even more with Yoo Jiwon's Awakener stats.

Even just becoming a 'B-rank’ hunter means signing a contract fee of hundreds of millions, and an 'A-rank’ can earn several times that amount.

Simply signing a contract alone would guarantee a fortune.

"It's almost time for the second exam. Would you like to observe?”

"No, thank you. There are already enough eyes on us as it is….."

Yoo Inwon waved his hands awkwardly, looking somewhat embarrassed.

As the Vice President, the idea of personally observing his son, who was a test-taker, seemed to make him uneasy.

‘After setting up all those reporters everywhere, what are you worried about…..’

Behind his confident and amiable smile, Gu Gyeon was sneering at Yoo Inwon.

He already knew that various media reporters had been allowed into the main auditorium where the first test was held.

The atmosphere was undoubtedly warm, but their true intentions lay elsewhere.

"Then I'll go ahead by myself. Since Maria is among the examiners, I believe you can expect a favorable outcome.”

“There’s no doubt about that.”

Gu Gyeon and Maria were on the same side.

Vice President Yoo Inwon also knew well that she wouldn’t give Yoo Jiwon a harsh evaluation.

Knock knock.

A neatly dressed female secretary entered the meeting room where they were gathered.

"Ah, perfect timing. I was just about to ask someone to escort Chairman Gu here."

"Oh, yes. That too, but…”

"......?"

The female secretary glanced around cautiously before continuing.

“The supervisor of the first test just approved the use of a Golden Core.”

“A Golden Core?”

Not only Yoo Inwon, but even Gu Gyeon beside him looked completely astonished.

"Could it be Jiwon? No..... Jiwon's examination should have already been completed..."

Yoo Inwon muttered in disbelief, and Gu Gyeon, feeling somewhat irritated, asked instead.

“What’s the name of that participant?”

"His name is Chun Haesun."

"Chun Haesun.....?"

A deep horizontal crease formed across Gu Gyeon's broad forehead.

Chun Haesun.

A name that sounded familiar.

He turned on his phone and checked the list he had been briefed on not long ago.

It was a list of test candidates who were either family members of existing Hunters or appeared to have great potential.

This information was confidential, provided unofficially by the Hunter Association.

The source of the information, of course, was none other than Yoo Inwon right in front of him.

The reason the Glory Guild was always one step ahead of other guilds in scouting promising rookies wasn’t just because of its reputation.

It was because they could begin working behind the scenes even before the exams began, allowing for highly effective recruitment.

If other guilds were to find out about this, both the Hunter Association and the Glory Guild would face an overwhelming wave of criticism.

"It's not there…..."

Gu Gyeon quickly scanned the list while subtly watching Yoo Inwon’s reaction,

but the name Chun Haesun was nowhere to be found.

But he was certain he’d heard the name before.

Gu Gyeon looked at Yoo Inwon, but he, too, seemed to know nothing about it.

Who was he?

Where had he heard that before?

Watching the two men frown and ponder, the female secretary hesitantly added.

“He’s classified as a Healer.”

Healer?

In that instant, lightning struck through Gu Gyeon's mind.

‘Healer.’

Gu Gyeon recalled the cold voice of the young man covered in blotches he’d seen at the Hunter Association headquarters.

Yes.

That day, the Association staff had definitely mentioned that name…..

“That guy? Chun Haesun?”

“You know him?”

At Yoo Inwon’s question, Gu Gyeon nodded.

"Yes. Vice President, you saw him too. He was the guy who got into a fight with an employee, saying he came from Gaebong Neighborhood. Don't you remember him?"

"...Ah!"

Yoo Inwon’s reaction was exactly twofold.

First, surprise.

Then, embarrassed.

Considering his position as Vice President of the Association, he should have felt pleased rather than embarrassed, but Yoo Inwon couldn’t.

Because the biggest star of this quarter had to be his son, Yoo Jiwon.

‘Damn it. Setting up all those reporters is going to be disadvantageous for him.’

A sudden sense of urgency filled Yoo Inwon.

There were only 15 minutes left until the second test.

Without even properly exchanging farewells, Yoo Inwon hurriedly left.

"I have some urgent business to attend to."

"Of course."

Despite having meticulously followed all formalities, he now found himself scrambling in a state of disarray.

Gu Gyeon sneered inwardly.

He understood very well exactly what ‘urgent matters’ meant.

‘It’s good, actually.’

The more the Association schemed, the easier it became for him to manipulate.

If the Vice President truly acted suspiciously, recruiting his son would become much easier.

In this world, there are no eternal allies or eternal enemies.

That guy with blotches may be a nasty little brat, but with that much potential, he’d be a perfect fit as a member of the Glory Guild.

Gu Gyeon recalled Maria’s sudden interest in the guy but deliberately pushed the thought aside.

* * *

If the first test measured potential, the second test was the actual test.

Knight applicants went up to the rooftop to engage in mock battles, while healer applicants demonstrated their healing skills on the 10th basement floor.

The reason for demonstrating healing abilities deep underground was simple.

One cannot deliberately harm a person just to test healing abilities.

So the subjects being healed in the testing room were not ‘humans’, but rather other ‘monsters’.

— Shrrrr...

— Kehng!

Since they had made it to the second test, most of the applicants were fairly proficient in using healing ability.

A woman who had received a relatively low score stepped forward and cleanly healed a small-type creature.

The key lies in how thoroughly one can heal the injured and diseased monsters.

In reality, it was just a matter of grading, so it's safe to say no one actually failed at this stage.

That aside.

Were those monsters deliberately harmed like that?

Just for the sake of the test?

— Kill me...

...Hmm?

A sorrowful voice echoed from somewhere.

It didn’t seem like a hallucination.

Even Brie, perched on my shoulder, flinched.

But no one else seemed to show any particular reaction.

Could they not hear this voice filled with despair?

— It hurts...

— Anyone, please, just kill me already…

At first, I thought it was just the voice that was strange, but the content was just as unsettling.

It was a voice no one could possibly mistake for that of a human. The voice, which echoed like telepathy, was filled with a raw, unfiltered emotion. As I frowned and looked around, I accidentally made eye contact with Yoo Jiwon. The punk must have thought I was nervous because he started showing off again.

“Little brat. Don’t chicken out. Remember, the final grade is more important than the score.”

I don't have time to play with you, you idiot. I dismissed him with a simple question.

"Did you transfer the money?"

".....!!"

"Don't talk to me until you transfer the money."

Even as I was talking, the desperate cries to be killed kept pounding in my ears.

If they were begging to be saved, I could understand, but why do they keep pleading to be killed?

[Applicant number 117. Chun Haesun. Please enter the testing area.]

Now was not the time for this.

I needed to focus.

I subtly shrugged my shoulder to signal Brie, and soon he sucked all the poison out of my body.

— Kurp.

You punk.

I warned you not to make that burping sound.

I guess physiological reactions (?) are unavoidable after all.

I glanced around cautiously and slipped into the test area.

The test area was much larger than I expected, with the examiners lined up along the other side of the glass wall.

Kind of felt like I’d become a gibbon in a zoo. No matter what came out, I had to heal it quickly and get out. The moment I thought that, that desperate voice (?) came again.

— Kill me…

This was driving me crazy.

Since it was not an actual voice, covering my ears wouldn't do any good.

My thoughts came to a halt when a lock on one side of the wall clicked open.

And only then was I able to see the true identity of the one who had been crying out in despair.

"Grrrrr….."

It was a tiger.

A large ash-gray tiger that nearly touched the ceiling. It bared its fang, as thick as a baseball bat, and growled fiercely.

Oh my.

So basically.

While some people get to heal small, hopping creatures, they bring me this king-sized beast? It was so absurd, I almost laughed. So much so that even the examiners visible beyond the glass wall showed quite a bit of agitation. Googlᴇ search novel·fıre·net

Seriously.

They were making such a fuss just to make it seem more serious.

— So, you’re the one? The one who’s going to kill me.

Looks like it recognized me.

Though it looked dangerous on the outside, it had already lost all will and fighting spirit.

— I have long since abandoned even the thought of living.

— Grant me eternal peace.

It seemed it was not speaking through voice, but through some kind of mental connection, and even through that, I could feel its overwhelming pain.

More than anything, despite what it said, I could feel the desperate emotion of someone who didn’t truly want to die.

If I could hear its voice, then maybe I could speak to it too.

While keeping silent on the outside, I spoke to it.

Hey. I don’t know what happened to you, but I’ll fix it.

— No. You’re going to be completely healed.

— What are you......?

It’d be a problem for me if you just died here.

I slowly walked toward the creature.

So you’re gonna have to live a little longer for me.