Chapter 3: Are you a healer by any chance?

Finally, the long-awaited night arrived.

To think that I, someone who hated the dark, would be eagerly waiting for nightfall.
Life is truly unpredictable.

With all the room’s lights turned off, I removed the ugly curtain from the spot where sunlight barely reached.

A mystical flower revealed itself, bathing the room in blue light.

“Wow… no matter how many times I see it, it’s just so beautiful.”

My hand carefully brushed against the petals, glowing softly.

[Lumina Bell]

– A single lantern blooming in deep darkness
– Highly sensitive to light and noise, containing pure mana

[Effects]
– Promotes mana recovery
– Effective for mental strain caused by mana overload

[Precautions]
– Exposure to light has a high chance of killing it, so take caution

[Uses]
‘Mana Recovery Potion’ – A potion made by mixing flower sap with purified water.
‘Lumina Tea’ – Tea brewed from dried petals, calming the mind and body.

It’s beautiful, sure, but the effects of this flower were far too extraordinary for something gathered from a low-tier gate.

‘It’s hard to believe no one knows about this yet.’

When I first learned about the flower, I clutched my racing heart and scoured every corner of the community.

But even in the plant gallery and the most active communities, no one knew its effects, let alone its name.

‘If people find out what this flower can do…’

I recalled the fire mage from the last gate run, panting and complaining about running out of mana after using his wide-area skill.

If that guy knew about this flower’s effects, he’d probably lose his mind trying to get it.

Not just him—anyone who awakened with magic skills would go crazy for it.

And then, the Lumina Bell would be hunted to extinction.

“It’s okay.”

I’ve got this now.

I gazed fondly at the five seeds resting in my palm.

After learning that light could kill the flower, I started living with the lights off at night.

That wasn’t enough, so I bought a curtain to completely block out light and wrapped it around the flower.

I succeeded in keeping it alive, tending to it without sleep, and managed to harvest five seeds.

‘Should I just post about it on the community myself?’

A sudden thought struck me.

What if I spread the word about the Lumina Bell’s effects and then destroyed all its seeds?

And then, what if I grew it in bulk all by myself…?

The mere thought was thrilling.

If that happened, the money I’d make would dwarf anything I could earn from streaming.

But the most important thing was something else.

‘Then my post would definitely hit the trending section.’

Naturally, everyone would know my username.
Becoming a named figure in the plant gallery, my long-time dream, would just be a matter of time…!

Given the current situation, it seems I’m the only one who can grow this, so it’s a pretty solid plan.

Slap!

I smacked my soft cheeks with both hands.

“Not yet! Don’t get ahead of yourself…!”

Spreading the word can wait until I’m sure I can reliably sprout these seeds.

Calming my excitement, I grabbed the prepared pots and planted the five seeds.

Smiling contentedly as I patted the soil,
suddenly, unexpected text appeared before my eyes.

⚠ Warning
The seeds of ‘Lumina Bell’ reject the soil.

[Conditions Not Met]
– Germination Condition: High-purity mana soil
– Mana Level: 0 / 100

※ Germination is impossible in the current environment.

‘So… what this means is…’

I can keep the flower alive with store-bought soil, but sprouting the seeds from scratch is impossible?

‘I have to go back into a gate…?’

The fact that healers were extremely rare had, by now, become common knowledge among awakeners.

The problem was that healers who awakened with healing skills were also starting to realize just how “valuable” they were.

Once again, similar posts began flooding the awakener community.

[Healer Kim Saebyeol < Public Callout]

Even considering they’re a healer, this person’s behavior is straight-up trash.

Taking all the gate clear rewards for themselves? Sure, that’s expected.
But declaring no heals just because a DPS pissed them off? Does that make sense?

And what kind of healer doesn’t even know how their skills work?

They cast Shield after we get hit, throw out Heals whenever they feel like it, and then say they’re out of mana when we actually need it…

Acting like the party leader and giving weird orders.

Ugh… so f*cking annoying.

Top-tier Rankers, if you see this person, never let them into your party.

[Lmao Saebyeol strikes again, their personality’s infamous.]
[But healers taking all the rewards is kinda fair… otherwise, they won’t join parties at all…]
[Some healers join for pay, so if one joins for free, just be grateful.]
[These days, that’s the mindset of all healers.]
[Just be thankful you get to clear high-tier gates, gain exp, and contribute. It’s better for your mental health, lol.]

It didn’t take long for rumors to spread among awakeners that “healers are getting more and more insufferable.”

But most awakeners had no choice but to accept it.

After all, while mid-tier gates could be cleared with just DPS working together, anything higher was practically impossible without a healer.

Even when similar complaints surfaced, the majority opinion was that healers had to be pampered.

[F*ck, I wish I’d awakened as a healer so I could act like a jerk too.]
[Why did the heavens make me, and then make healers…?]
[I just want to regress one day and be reborn as a healer.]
[Sh*t, why the hell wasn’t I born a healer?!]

Naturally, resentment and envy toward those living large just because they were healers began to surge.

“Going into a gate, this is really the last time.”

Even if I have to go for the soil this time…
After today, I’ll never, ever step foot in a gate again.

I’m sick of being treated like dead weight just because I’m a healer.

Sigh, who’s to blame?
I can only blame myself for awakening as a healer.

“Then I’ll need to gather a lot of soil.”

Enough that I’ll never have to come back to a gate.

Grumbling to myself, I wandered near my place and noticed the gate I’d entered before was gone, replaced by an empty lot.

I’d heard that once a gate is cleared, the government decides whether to use it for resource farming or make it disappear.

Seems that was true.

‘It was crawling with spiders, so getting rid of it makes sense.’

I never wanted to set foot there again anyway.

Shuddering lightly, I walked for a while, searching for another gate.

After some time, I spotted a dark gray beam of light shooting into the sky.

A dark gray light meant a low-tier gate—a fact I’d learned from experience.

Approaching the gate hesitantly, a kind-looking man spoke to me.

“Hello. Are you looking for a party right now?”

I nodded, and he smiled brightly, introducing the group huddled beside him.

“I’m Choi Hanul, guild master of Sprout Guild. These are our guild members.”

The kids bowed politely, unable to take their eyes off my face.

Unlike my last party, who felt jaded and worn out, this group, with so many kids, was brimming with energy.

“Could you tell us your name, age, and ability type?”

The word “healer” rose to my throat but got stuck.

Maybe the memory of my last party was too strong.
The urge to hide my class overwhelmed me.

After a few seconds of hesitation, I decided to mix a bit of truth with a bit of a lie.

“My name is Lee Chorok, twenty-two years old. I’m a support-type mage…”

It’s got some truth in it, so it’s fine… right?

“A support mage, huh? Can’t expect much DPS then. That’s okay! I’ll handle the dangerous monsters, so just stick with us until the end.”

As soon as he finished, he pointed to the number 6 carved on the gate’s right side.

“As you can see, this gate requires a party of six to enter.”

I thought you could just walk in, but there’s a required party size?

I filed that info away in my mental notebook.

“Everyone’s either in a party or paired up, so finding just one more person was tough. We waited a long time for you, Chorok-ssi. Haha… thank you for coming!”

His voice, saying he was grateful to me, was as warm and genuine as his appearance.

‘Not all party members are bad, huh.’

I gave him a quiet smile.

Unlike my last party, who left me traumatized, this group was incredibly kind to me.

“Unnie, you’re so cute! Can I pinch your cheeks just once?”
“Unnie! You’ve got a ton of followers, right? Let’s follow each other after the gate!”
“Kids, stop bothering Chorok-ssi. Focus on the run.”

They were a bit shy at first, but after a few words, the kids chatted nonstop, their eyes sparkling. They were adorable.

“Unnie! Monster ahead! Be careful!”

They even protected me, charging at the monsters that appeared.

The backs of these kids, who looked about five years younger than me, felt so reliable.

“Boss room’s coming up! Alright, everyone, get ready!!”

At the guild master’s command, the kids opened their bags, counting throwing weapons and polishing gear, each preparing in their own way.

It was about time to fulfill my original purpose for coming to the gate…

Maybe because of the harsh treatment from my last party,
I couldn’t bring myself to speak up easily.

After much hesitation, I finally mustered the courage to approach Choi Hanul.

“Um, sorry… Before we head into the boss room, could I gather some soil here?”

I bowed deeply, and to my surprise, his hearty laugh echoed in my ears.
Startled by the unexpected reaction, I lifted my head.

“Gathering resources in a gate is a hunter’s right, of course you can. Take as much as you want. Need any help?”
“N-No, I can manage on my own…”

Choi Hanul suddenly rolled up his sleeves and started digging the soil with his bare hands.
The kids burst into laughter, holding their stomachs.

“Haha! Guild master digging dirt is hilarious!”
“Unnie! Why do you need the soil? Is there something special about it?”
“I’ll help too!”

With their help, I gathered way more soil than I’d planned.

My eyes stung, and I quickly bowed my head to hide it.

“Alright, let’s move out! Chorok-ssi, ready?”

I was about to respond with a casual smile when—

“KYAAAH—!”

A piercing scream and frantic shout came from behind.

“Guild master! Emergency! Please check on Chaeun!”

Turning toward the sound, I saw a girl collapsed, her leg bleeding heavily.

“Sorry… I got careless and got bitten…”

Near her leg lay a dead insect-type monster, belly up.

The guild master rushed to her without a word, pulling a green bottle from his bag.

The injured girl waved her hands in panic.

“Guild master! I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt!”
“Be quiet, kid.”
“You’re going to use that on me? What about the boss… Please, I’m fine…”

The girl begged, insisting she was okay,
while Choi Hanul tried to force the liquid from the bottle onto her wound.

I could roughly guess what was happening.

I raised both hands and focused.

‘Even if they find out I lied and kick me out right now, it’s fine.’

A warm, sparkling light began to float from my fingertips.

‘I got the soil I wanted, and they’ve helped me so much.’

The light drifted toward the girl’s injured leg.

It settled gently, seeping into the wound,
and her leg became pristine, as if it had never been hurt.

Choi Hanul stared at me in disbelief.

“Chorok-ssi, are you…”

He must feel betrayed since I lied.
I lowered my head, guilt weighing on me.

“When you said support mage, you meant… a healer?”

Before he finished, everyone’s eyes turned to me.