The More the Healer Gets Hit the Stronger He Become

17 – Improvised Team (1)

He killed the sick orc!!

Surrounded by a radiant aura, Kangwoo expressed his joy with his whole being.

Clearing the 10th floor alone!

“I must be the first one to do this, right?”

According to the saying, one cannot pass through the Tower’s floors without forming a party.

As such, there was a reasonable suspicion of the possibility.

“I thought it was too close for comfort.”

He thought he could kill it after two or three slashes, but it took more than five, making it incredibly precarious because the notification didn’t pop up.

“I need a sword, not this kind of dagger.”

As Kangwoo earnestly pondered over his new weapon, the long-awaited notification chimed in.

[Trial Completion Reward 800 Points]

“What’s this? Only 800 points?”

Considering it was the reward for completing the 10th-floor trial, it felt somewhat meager. It could have been rounded up to 1,000 points, why settle for 800?

Though it seemed too stingy compared to the effort he put in, that wasn’t important now.

What mattered was…

[Defeated Monster: Sick Orc 1⨉300 Points]

[Successfully handled a sick orc on the 10th floor.]

[Unbelievable achievement. Monster defeat points are multiplied by five.]

“Yes-!”

He believed. Even though it was just on the 10th floor and the orc was sick, it was still a C-rank monster. It wouldn’t simply pass as an ordinary reward.

Thump, thump. Kangwoo’s heart beat rapidly.

“Could it be? Is it happening??”

As if answering his expectations, the system notification continued.

[Cleared the trial in a short time.]

[Great achievement. All rewards are doubled.]

“This is it-!!”

His fist clenched tightly. Kangwoo eagerly awaited the system’s final words.

[The total reward is 4,600 points.]

“Wow.”

I expected it to be huge, but 4,600 points? The points he had earned so far were considered a ridiculous amount in the lower ranks, but 4,600 points surpassed any reasonable figure.

‘Wow, this is insane.’

After standing there dumbfounded for a while, something strange caught Kangwoo’s eye.

“Huh?”

The space before him looked no different from the safe zone he had seen so far.

An entirely uniform, unnecessarily vast space painted in gray.

However, strangely, there was something he hadn’t seen before in his eyes now.

“Huh?”

In one corner of the familiar safe zone, a man, not lacking in the same ruggedness as the safe zone, was sitting and staring blankly at him.

“Huh?”

Encountering his own kind after 36 days, Kangwoo was bewildered. His mouth fell open, and an exclamation of surprise involuntarily escaped.

Upon seeing Kangwoo, the man also stood up abruptly and gestured with an exclamation.

“Huh?”

The two bewildered beings lost their words. The two of them, like fools, gestured at each other, exchanging ‘huh’ sounds.

As signs of attention from the surroundings were felt, another person appeared.

“Kyumin, why are you…”

The woman who came out of the tent with a puzzled expression approached Jang Kyumin, wondering, ‘What’s happening outside?’…

“Huh?”

Spotting Kangwoo, she, too, initiated the gesture of surprise. Fortunately, she had something different from the foolish two.

“Hey, Unnie! Oppa! Come out, quickly!”

The point was that he hadn’t lost his ability to speak.

The commotion that had erupted in the once serene Safe Zone quickly spread.

As people began to gather, one by one, at the woman’s insistence.

Kangwoo, finally coming to his senses, began to assess the current situation.

“The ones who arrived first.”

There wasn’t much to ponder. Those who had arrived at the 10th floor Safe Zone before him. Their identities were obvious.

The people who had fallen behind due to Kangwoo’s struggles in the first-floor trial, which they had been together in the Starting Plaza when they first entered the Tower.

“What are those tents for?”

Kangwoo, spotting the four tents spread out in the 10th floor Safe Zone, expressed his curiosity.

“Were those available in the shops too?”

While Kangwoo had been primarily searching for food or weapons, he found himself interested in the unusual items in the shop, but as he did, the woman who had been making a scene approached with her entourage.

“How many people are here?”

A total of four individuals approached.

Two more people could be seen observing from a distance.

“Wow! I was really surprised. We thought we were the last party, but suddenly you popped up. Do you have any idea how surprised we were?”

Kangwoo’s gaze shifted at the voice coming from the front. It was the same woman who had discovered him second and had been making a fuss ever since.

“Where were you at the party? Are you feeling okay?”

Despite her petite stature, she was talkative. She incessantly chattered, her yellow-tied ponytail fluttering about.

“Staff and shields? Oh? There’s even a bow?”

As the chatter of the talkative woman started to grate on his ears, the woman beside her stepped in to mediate.

“Seung-ah, just a moment.”

“Oh. Did I talk too much?”

The woman, who playfully pinched the tip of her tongue with a gentle smile, scanned Kangwoo with fierce eyes as if asking when he became so meek.

“Those who passed the trial… are they all on your side?”

Despite the harsh tone, her speech was cautious.

The question implied whether the one who passed the trial did it alone, meaning everyone who challenged the trial together had died, leaving only one survivor.

“He probably doesn’t even think I could have cleared it alone.”

It was a natural reaction. Clearing the trial alone was unimaginable. If it were before entering the Tower, Kangwoo himself would have treated it as a ridiculous boast.

“There’s no need to announce it, I guess.”

Kangwoo didn’t bother correcting the woman’s misunderstanding.

“Yes. I’m the only one who survived.”

…”

At Kangwoo’s answer, the atmosphere, which had been lively with the arrival of a new person, became awkward.

“Well…”

But the silence was brief.

As those who had overcome the trial of the 10th floor, no one gathered here was unfamiliar with death.

The woman with a fierce impression cleared her throat and changed the atmosphere.

“For now, there are a total of 9 people in this safe zone. Do you see those two tents over there?”

Following the woman’s gaze, two tents side by side and two people standing next to them, watching, came into view.

“Those are people from the Korean Guild. There are a total of 5, so the party is already full.”

Guild of Korea.

Ranked 6th in South Korea, it was a large guild with A-class hunter Kim Sung-hoon, a former soldier, as the guild master.

‘Those people are from the Guild of Korea.’

Kang Woo’s gaze scanning the onlookers changed.

There was no guild that would recklessly sign a pre-contract with a tasteless awakened one before entering the tower. It was because their unique abilities were not yet revealed, and there was no reason to invest in them by paying a contract fee and even training them.

‘Even if they squeeze out a hefty contract fee and get killed in the tower, it’s a loss.’

However, there were cases where such losses were accepted, especially when dealing with awakened ones with exceptional bloodlines, particularly those of the Tasteless.

If the father is a healer, the son is highly likely to be a healer too. This was a statistically proven fact, and that was why large guilds took risks and gambled.

‘Being part of a large guild means they probably know a lot. Did the Tend Guild teach them too?’

I should approach and dig for information. While Kang Woo was organizing his thoughts, a fierce-looking woman spoke.

“We are people we met in the 10th-floor Safe Zone. We were waiting for those who will enter the tower next month because our party wasn’t filled.”

“People…?”

As Kang Woo frowned, the woman added an explanation.

“The party size for parties going to the 11th floor is limited to 5 people.”

Until now, there had been no restriction on the number of party members for the challenges from the 1st to the 10th floor. Whether there were 10 or 100 participants, challengers could face trials as they pleased.

However, as the number increased, the share of the spoils after defeating monsters decreased. Therefore, awakened ones ascending the tower were forming parties of around 10 people to challenge the trials.

‘Only 10 people for the trials. They conquered the trials with 10 people?’

The more he heard about the girl’s explanation, the more his stomach churned.

While he struggled alone and barely cleared the trials, these ten comfortably faced them together!

A girl who seemed oblivious to Kangwoo’s feelings spoke.

“Only forming a party with just five members and daring to challenge the trials without filling all slots is a foolish act. So, I was spending time idly when you showed up.”

The sharp eyes of the girl sparkled with desire.

He thought he would mindlessly consume the hard-earned points to buy provisions at the safe zone, but unexpectedly, a new awakened individual appeared. And as if it was orchestrated, only one person was lacking in their insufficient group.

“Um… so, well…”

The girl hesitated without replying. Kangwoo, puzzled by her hesitance, realized the reason when a talkative guy interjected from the side.

“If you’re not planning to give up here, come up with us! Well, even if you were thinking of giving up, please reconsider just once!”

“… What?”

“Uh… it’s a hastily assembled team, but still, we have two dealers, one ranged, and one tanker! So, um…”

As the words rambled on, the talkative guy also started glancing at Kangwoo. Though he fidgeted and wriggled his hands anxiously, that wasn’t what mattered to Kangwoo now.

“Huh??”

It was too shocking, and his head felt dizzy.

So, these people right now…

‘Are they worried that I might give up on the trial and leave the tower??’

When he turned his gaze away, a previously unnoticed ‘exit’ appeared, where he hadn’t even bothered to check if it was open or not.

“Uh? Uh-oh! Are you really planning to leave? Well, I might look like this, but I’m quite…”

“Um, excuse me? You’re not planning to leave right now, are you?”

As Kangwoo’s gaze turned toward the ‘exit’ leading to the modern world set up in the safe zone, two women hastily stumbled over their words.

In the midst of that absurd misunderstanding.

“Ha… damn it…”

Kangwoo felt a momentary urge to cry.

He pitied himself for having taken for granted the inability to leave the tower for some time now.

***

“Oh, is that so? You really surprised me by hesitating like that!!”

“Phew…”

Upon Kangwoo’s statement that he had no intention of leaving the tower (or rather, couldn’t leave) and would join the party, the two women expressed relief.

In place of the woman who was suppressing her emotions with a ten-year-long expression, the quick-witted girl, having recovered her composure, extended her right hand.

“So, we’re a team now! Nice to meet you. I’m Yoo Seung-ah! I’m an archer, and I’m 20 years old!”

Behind the bright-speaking Yoo Seung-ah, the yellow-haired quick-witted girl shook.

It was just as Kangwoo was about to gallantly shake her hand.

“Oh, nice to meet you. I am…”

“A team? Who decided we’re a team?”

One step back, a man who had been observing the unfolding situation frowned.

“No matter how you look at it, it’s suspicious. Joining a team with that guy?”

The man with a dagger pointed at Kangwoo, revealing his hostility.