The Poisonous Healer

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Rumble.

I wondered, “Was the expression ‘the wall is collapsing’ always this intuitive?”

The ‘ground’ beneath us crumbled revealing a dark hole. A rabbit hole leading us to what seemed like the secondary dungeon.

“Kyaaaaah!!”

“Whoa!!”

The hunters, including me, fell helplessly, gravity pulling us into the depth.

The Knights with sturdy bodies would be fine, but the Espers would be completely crushed.

I had to decide.

Whether to show these guild members my true power.

A flood of thoughts passed in a fleeting moment, but I soon made up my mind.

Either way, if I didn't fully unleash my abilities, everyone here would die.

Thump-

As I kept falling endlessly, I kicked off a chunk of rubble from the stone floor and flew toward Lee Yechan.

He had his eyes tightly shut, flailing his arms and legs.

“Waaaahhh!”

“Stay still!”

I grabbed Lee Yechan by the waist with my left hand.

Despite the complicated circumstances, my ‘D’-rank level grip strength held Lee Yechan firmly in place.

“Ugh!!”

Of course, he, the victim, must be feeling the pain of his waist being crushed, but it was better than dying.

Whoosh.

Barely twisting my body mid-air, I kicked off another chunk of stone and leaped toward the nearby female Esper.

The ‘Poison Steps’ was definitely playing its part, but I could also feel my body moving more lightly on its own.

Repeating Oh Jiho’s training videos for two weeks definitely seemed to have helped.

More than just the combat moves themselves, I felt like I was starting to grasp what it truly meant to ‘use my body’.

Crunch.

“Gasp!!”

The female Esper couldn’t even scream as I held her slender frame in my grip.

I felt a snapping sound at my fingertips, maybe a rib or two broke.

At the same time, a new floor appeared below.

“Shit…!!”

Gritting my teeth, I tightened my grip around them and spun my body midair.

Crash!!!

Even though I concentrated all the Black Aether onto my back, a wave of excruciating pain surged through me.

It was so excruciating that it instantly brought back memories of the days before my awakening.

My head was spinning.

“Is everyone okay?! Wait…!!”

Choi Inho, the team leader, looked around and was visibly shocked.

Just from seeing the way we were sprawled out, he could probably guess what had happened.

“Hunter Chun Haesun!!”

Choi Inho rushed over quickly to check my condition.

The others might have some minor injuries, but none would compare to the damage I took bearing the weight of two people alone.

“I… am fine.”

I held Choi Inho back with one hand, then placed the other on the female Esper’s waist.

Shrrrr…

“Hmmm…”

Thankfully, the bone damage wasn’t too severe.

As I treated the Esper, the pain in my back gradually began to subside.

“You can heal others while simultaneously healing yourself…”

Choi Inho muttered to himself, as if he had never seen anything like this before.

“How are the others?”

“Ah… aside from these two, everyone else is a Knight, so they’re fine. I thought they’d be seriously injured, but Hunter Chun Haesun, you’ve really…”

Choi Inho was so moved he couldn’t find the words to continue.

Not only did you throw yourself to save the Espers, but you also thought about the safety of the other hunters first.

Judging by his overwhelmed expression, that's what he seemed to be thinking.

I was just trying to check how much manpower we lost, but it seemed he misunderstood.

I turned away from Choi Inho’s bright, sparkling eyes and looked around.

It seemed that the hunters hadn’t actually suffered any serious damage.

Since the team was made up of high-ranking hunters, it seemed they could withstand an impact like this.

Well, after all, even my ‘D’-rank sturdy body managed to hold up.

“Hunter!! I’ll never forget this favor for as long as I live!!”

Lee Yechan, having heard the situation, kept bowing deeply to me in gratitude.

Not only Lee Yechan, but the female hunter I saved alongside him and the other guild members also expressed their gratitude.

At the same time, they looked very curious.

Even though I’m an ‘S’ ranker, my type was a healer.

Both Esper and Healer are physically weak.

And yet, while that Healer was falling, he saved another Esper and bore the full weight of the burden.

Objectively, it was clear something was strange.

But I had no intention of explaining anything.

The real crisis was just beginning.

“I thought I’d been through it all, but experiencing the ground collapsing beneath me is a first…”

“How far did we even fall?”

The guild members shook their heads and looked up above.

Contrary to the fact that the ground had collapsed, a blue sky stretched out above us.

A sky beneath the earth.

It was unbelievable.

“Uh….”

And then, dark dots began to appear against the piercing blue sky.

“What are those?”

A few grew into dozens, then dozens turned into hundreds.

Seeing their swarm-like approach, Choi Inho clenched his teeth.

“Harpy……!!”

Harpy.

I’ve heard that name before.

Watching the hundreds of them flying from afar, I called out to V1.

[Harpy

Type - Common

Physical Ability: Flying

Difficulty Level: 4 Stars (★★★★)

Physical Level: ‘B’-rank

Other Level: ‘B’-rank]

Though it was not a poison monster, its Other Level was a ‘B’ likely because it was a flying type.

Its head and torso resembled a human’s, but it possessed wings and claws.

It looked more like a secondary dragon.

Even the incoming mobs had an above-average difficulty level.

Although there were four B-rank Knights in the party, a grim shadow was cast over everyone's faces.

This was because the Knights lacked adequate means to subdue the monsters floating in the sky.

They could only counterattack when the harpies came down to strike, which meant the initiative lay entirely with the harpies.

The only ones on our side capable of launching a preemptive attack were the two Espers.

The female Esper ranked ‘B’ and Lee Yechan, a ‘C’ ranker.

More than anything, the sheer number, hundreds of them covering the sky was overwhelming.

“How are we supposed to take all of those down?”

“Team Leader, what should we do?”

“Stay calm! Form up first!”

The situation wasn’t looking good, but Choi Inho held it together and led the team like a true leader.

The tank-type Knight took the front, while the other Knights spread out to the left and right, forming an arrowhead formation.

Inside that formation, the two Espers and I took our positions.

It was a formation designed to protect the Espers and Healer from the raining claws of the harpies while allowing for counterattacks.

‘Efficient. But…..’

“They're coming!!”

Shreaak.

Harpies, by nature, don’t cry out.

All you hear is the chilling sound of air tearing as they dive down to shred their prey.

The harpies formed a massive wave, swooping down on us in a solid mass.

Kakang!!

Clang!!

The tankers’ shields and the knights’ combat devices clashed against the harpies’ claws.

Boom!!

A psychokinetic force closer to explosives than flames enveloped them, and Lee Yechan unleashed a barrage of lightning strikes at will.

Crackle!

And as the harpies’ assault continued, I healed the team in real time, without pause.

Clang!! Clang!!

“……!!”

The attack, which felt like an eternity, finally came to an end.

Dozens of harpy corpses were scattered around us.

There were some minor injuries, but no casualties on our side, zero damage.

It was a moment where Choi Inho’s leadership truly shone.

“Good. Let’s keep this up and keep thinning out their numbers!”

Choi Inho seemed to have gained confidence and encouraged his teammates.

However,

Flap flap.

The harpies, once clustered together like a ball, began to spread out widely.

True to their nickname, ‘Cunning Wingmen’ they were now seeking the most optimal way to hunt us down.

A circular band floated above us in the sky.

The harpies had formed a massive ring directly overhead.

“Damn it…!!”

The triangular arrowhead formation was highly effective, but only against frontal assaults.

But what if attacks were coming from all sides?

"Change formation!"

Sensing the crisis, Choi Inho deployed the Knights out in all directions.

Shriek.

This time, it wasn’t just a single wave sweeping past.

The cunning harpies pulled back the ones who had finished their attack, rotating in fresh ones as they relentlessly slashed with their claws.

“Ugh!!”

One of the Knights fighting had an arm torn off.

He raised his shield with his remaining hand, but it was clear even at a glance he couldn’t hold out much longer.

At this rate, the formation would collapse in no time.

"Everyone, get down!"

As the B-Ranker female Esper shouted fiercely, the Knights quickly dropped prone to the ground.

I also halted my healing and hastily dropped to one knee.

"Aura Thunderblast!”

KWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!!

A thunderous explosion erupted overhead.

At the same time, dozens of harpies surrounding us were turned into roasted sparrows, falling in a cascade.

The harpies, startled by the power, instantly flew into the sky, leaving the surroundings filled with the stench of explosives.

‘This is the true strength of a B-rank Esper.’

A high-ranking Esper who saved the team by detonating the entire surrounding area.

It was an unbelievable level of destructive power hard to believe came from just one person.

However,

Drip.

Unfortunately, the price was also certain.

“Over here, please.”

It seemed using her ability over a wide area instead of a localized zone had triggered a heavy backlash.

The female Esper collapsed into my arms, nosebleed streaming down her face.

“Damn it… Is today my funeral or what?”

The Knight whose arm I’d just finished healing spat out a curse.

The other hunters stayed silent, but it was clear they were mentally preparing themselves too.

Thanks to the B-ranker's desperate effort, we gained temporary relief, but there were still over a hundred harpies soaring in the sky, flapping their wings.

If they attacked the same way again, there would be no way to stop it now.

I poured healing energy into the female Esper's body, gently laid her down, and stood up.

And slowly, I stepped away from the group.

“Hunter Chun Haesun?”

Choi Inho looked at me with puzzled eyes.

Was he running away?

For a brief moment, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes, but it didn’t last.

He saw the blade in my hand.

“It’s dangerous! Hunter Chun Haesun! These bastards aren’t the kind you can handle just because you’ve got a weapon!”

It seemed like he still thought I was just some clueless, naive healer.

Just watch.

I'll show you how to take down those goddamn bastards.

Flap flap.

Their gaze locked onto me.

The predator's highest priority when attacking prey.

They go for the one who strays from the group.

Vmmm...

I poured a surge of Black Aether into the hand gripping Exa.

My healing power was now less than half, but my Black Aether remained intact.

What used to be just a fingertip-sized, barely a blade, had now grown to a full hand’s span.

I slowly backed away, deliberately luring them.

"Hunter Chun Haesun!! Come this way!!"

Lee Yechan’s desperate shout seemed to have triggered the harpies as they all dove down toward me.

Shriek!!

Thud.

Just as their claws were about to rake across my body, I used ‘Poison Steps’ to swiftly dodge away.

“Hunter Chun Haesuuuuuuunnn!!”

Lee Yechan must have thought I was still standing there.

I’m not dead, so quit screaming like I am.

I shifted my position again and again, luring them away.

Until they were arranged like an arrowhead, just like the formation we first used.

No, more precisely, I shaped them into a straight-line formation.

‘This should do.’

It was mostly open plains, but here and there stood massive boulders.

I moved between two of the closer boulders and raised Exa behind my shoulder.

Shriek.

The harpies, clearly enraged from being toyed with, bared their claws as they closed in.

‘I’ll pierce through as far as I can.’

I poured the maximum amount of Aether into Exa, then hurled it with full force.

Pabababababababak!

First harpy, then the second, and the third.

Exa shot forward with a savage force, piercing through their torsos as it flew, stretching endlessly.

Ten harpies on the way out.

Five more on the way back.

Took down fifteen with a single throw. Sounds like a good deal, right?

‘No. Not enough.’

This kind of straight-line attack is excellent for ‘killing’ an opponent, but for me right now, only inflicting minor injuries would be sufficient.

Because the poison of the Black Aether in the blade could make even a tiny wound lethal.

I grabbed the returning Exa and slipped away using ‘Poison Steps.’

The harpies didn’t even chase me, by the time they looked around, they had to dart their eyes side to side just to figure out where I’d gone.

‘Just like this, let's keep widening the range…!’

The harpies swarmed in again, and this time, I hurled Exa like a spinning disc.

Shaaaak!

Exa curved in a wide arc as it spun back toward me.

Just as I expected, dozens of harpies within its radius dropped to the ground without putting up a fight.

Even those with just the tiniest scratch on their wings froze up and died in under three seconds.

Over fifty harpies.

In just two attacks, a third of the harpies were wiped out.

Only then did a shadow of fear creep across their faces.

“Th… This is ridiculous."

Watching me casually flick the blood off the blade, the hunters stared with jaws dropped, their jaws nearing the ground each time.