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Translator: penny
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: The Dignity of an SSS-Grade Healer (3)
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The Semi Guild was capable of stably clearing S-grade dungeons.
Upper-tier guilds only received certification from the Hunter Association if they could reliably conquer S-grade dungeons in the first place.
As such, they had entered with enough firepower to raid the dungeon even without Um O-su.
If the absence of an SSS-grade healer made an S-grade dungeon impossible, they never would have attempted it to begin with.
But just because something was possible didn't mean variables wouldn't arise.
That was why Han Semi had no choice but to tolerate Um O-su's transparent schemes and bring extra healers along—to eliminate as many variables as possible for an even more stable clear.
Especially since they'd already witnessed the power of that SSS-grade healer variable on Mars.
And the current situation was one such variable.
"Healers' mana is running low."
"Fight as safely as possible. We can win this. If your health drops below half, fall back and support from there. Tanks, focus on marking only the S-grades!"
Han Semi issued calm orders as she moved.
"We need to split those two S-grades on the left."
The hunters, hearing even Kang Hana's orders amid the onslaught of countless monsters, moved with disciplined precision.
The saying went that half of dungeon raiding was resting—after a major battle in a challenging dungeon, they took time to recover stamina.
It wasn't just stamina; without mana, the foundation of a hunter's abilities, they couldn't even muster half their usual strength.
Like right now.
This was a situation they could have handled without Um O-su, yet it had turned into a fierce battle with mounting injuries among the hunters.
A fight that broke out shortly after a large-scale engagement ended, while everyone was still resting.
The healers had used their partially recovered mana for heals, but this was the dungeon's biggest battle so far, making it hard to push forward easily.
Everyone knew it.
Their mana was depleted.
Some of the hunters who'd been to Mars glanced toward Im Hyeji.
Maybe they could experience that again.
They harbored faint hopes, but thoughts of cooldowns surfaced, and they squeezed out every last ounce of strength to hold back the monsters.
"Heal! We need heals on the right flank."
Kang Hana called out as their formation buckled.
But no heals came.
The hunters' eyes shifted to Um O-su's tent.
"Where the hell is the SSS-grade healer...?"
"Shouldn't she be helping right now?"
A few hunters had already gone to the tent with staff in tow, but no heals returned.
"Fuck... this is brutal."
"Is this really an SSS-grade healer raid?"
"We can still kill them without her... damn it."
Resentment built up.
The fact that they weren't dying or in mortal danger without Um O-su only made them more frustrated and annoyed.
In the end, once inside a dungeon, hunters had a duty to save, support, and give their all for their party members.
Even if someone was usually arrogant or uncooperative, shouldn't they at least pull their weight now?
As the hunters fought desperately amid the variables, burning through their stamina and whittling down the monsters bit by bit, dragging out the battle...
Paaat!
A single ray of warm sunlight beamed down.
Everyone's gaze was stolen by that gentle glow.
It was impossible not to be captivated by the radiant sunlight illuminating their vision.
The source of that light was the tank holding the front line against an S-grade monster.
A hunter covered in wounds, marking 1v1 alone, on the verge of collapse at any moment.
The warm sunlight enveloped his injuries.
The wounds it touched healed as if they'd never been there, and his exhausted expression eased.
His sluggish, dulled movements sharpened and lightened visibly, and with that renewed power, he began pressuring the S-grade monster, pushing it back and even landing damage solo.
"Whoa..."
"What the...?"
The admiration didn't end there.
The light absorbed by its recipient soon faded.
Then, once more, brilliant light erupted from the tank's body, spreading outward like a wave.
The wave of sunlight, reaching about 40 meters, bathed every hunter it touched in its blessing.
"Wow..."
"What kind of heal amount is that?"
"Insane..."
It wasn't just stamina recovery.
Mana recovered to some extent, and a sense of mental stability returned.
And that 40-meter radius filled with lingering warm sunlight.
[Damage taken reduced by 20% due to the effect of 'Heavenly Barrier'.]
[Mana recovered by 28% due to the effect of 'Heavenly Wave'.]
[Health recovered by 65% due to the effect of 'Heavenly Light'.]
The hunters' faces lit up.
"As expected."
"She shows up when it counts."
"Whew. What a show-off. Only an SSS-grade could pull this."
There was a saying: hate the person, not the ability.
Hunters were, after all, just people with their own jobs.
Dungeons were their social life, workplace, and hierarchy.
An SSS-grade hunter was like an untouchable company advisor to regular employees.
How could you hate someone who kept the company alive, brought in work, and saved lives?
They might gripe behind their back, but they always lived grateful for the ability.
They let out sighs of relief.
A single heal turning this grueling situation comfortable was absurdly stark proof of the gap between hunters' abilities, leaving them hollow.
She sure knows how to handle them.
This was why top-tier hunters and guilds fawned over even the notoriously rude Um O-su like she was royalty.
"...But isn't the heal a bit stronger now?"
"Was there always this kind of buff?"
The admiring hunters suddenly sensed something off.
This wasn't the taste of the first heal they'd felt upon entering the dungeon.
Um O-su's heals were... cloying, like liquid sugar syrup that left you bloated and queasy.
But this was completely different—smooth, light, sugar-free, like a zero-calorie drink.
The sunlight shot out periodically, as if nurturing the hunters fighting within its range.
The waves of light wouldn't tolerate anyone's health dipping below a certain level.
In the end, despite the massive battle following exhaustion that normally demanded rest, they cleared it smoothly without issue.
Only then did they glance back.
Gazes toward Um O-su's tent tilted heads in confusion at her absence.
"Huh?"
"Where is she?"
If you named the person least likely to play humble in a situation like this, it'd be Um O-su.
She'd toss aside any humility and awkwardly take credit for praiseworthy deeds.
Vanish right after the fight ended?
No way.
As the frontline hunters puzzled over it, excited shouts erupted from another direction.
"Hyeji!!! Additional awakening? Again???"
Not far from Um O-su's tent.
Han Semi was visible, grabbing Im Hyeji's hands and jumping around as the latter caught her breath and wiped sweat.
"What? Additional awakening?"
"What additional awakening?"
"Wait... no way, this heal..."
"Yeah, it's Hyeji's heal."
"Crazy. I got this and didn't even realize?"
Only then did the hunters realize the familiar warmth hidden within that sunlight.
To Semi Guild members,
Especially C Team, it was very familiar and comforting.
It was the heal they'd always received—even up until moments ago.
It had improved so drastically that they hadn't recognized it at first.
But hearing it was the same style, they pieced it together.
"Whoa..."
"How..."
"This level..."
The hunters held their words.
It was too absurd.
Hunters experiencing it firsthand in battle knew best.
Especially with such a perfect comparison—they'd filmed and scattered it everywhere at the start, letting everyone feel it bodily.
SSS-grade ability with S-grade heal.
And Im Hyeji's S-grade ability with S-grade heal.
Even to them, the difference was clear-cut.
Bitter yet pitying at the innate disparity.
Because they'd felt it most vividly in comparison, they'd assumed the warm sunlight was Um O-su's upon seeing it.
This level of performance couldn't come from Im Hyeji.
Yet it had.
Which meant...
"Yes. I awakened to an SSS-grade ability..."
"...."
"....."
Hearing the impossible from her own mouth left everyone stunned and speechless.
Did this even make sense?
Congratulations wouldn't come easily.
"C-Congrats, Hyeji."
Han Semi recovered first, smiling to smooth things over.
"Congratulations, Hyeji."
"Yeah, congrats."
Envy. Jealousy. Resentment.
No matter how good the person, seeing an SSS-grade ability and matching SSS-grade skill awaken right before their eyes—especially as a perfect set—would stir those feelings.
But this wasn't outside; it was a dungeon.
In the heat of an S-grade battle, that warm sunlight embracing them came to mind.
So, belatedly, they offered congratulations.
"What? It's over? You won without me? See? I told you it was nothing."
"...."
And Um O-su, emerging late from her tent with a refreshed look, piled on.
Seeming to read the mood, she joined the next fight, flaunting her contribution.
Saah—
A golden shower of heals sprinkled like water from a hose.
But the initial cheers were gone.
"Ooh."
"Cool."
Under the pouring sunlight and within its barrier, Um O-su's heal was, well...
"Like a piss sprinkler."
"...."
They couldn't escape the relative comparison.
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